On the Run Together
by See You Next Thursday
Summary: Blair & Jo embark on a road trip vacation together only to get caught up in unfortunate, unforeseen consequences. This fanfic is an adaptation of the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise.
1. Chapter 1: Making Plans

_**AN Disclaimer: This is my first FOL fic. It's an adaptation from the amazing 1991 movie Thelma and Louise. I saw this movie over and over again and started picturing Blair and Jo in the movie instead of the original actresses in my head. As a disclaimer, I don't own anything connected to this movie or anything else. This is just for fun. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_Chapter One: Making Plans_

1990

Blair Warner stood alone in her spacious kitchen, lacy nightgown from last night still on, hair curlers still rolled in her hair and her makeup already done. Blair felt naked without it.

She had just finished preparing breakfast for herself and was making coffee for her live-in boyfriend.

She drummed her manicured fingernails against the countertop, staring blankly at the dirty dishes from last night's dinner soaking in her kitchen sink. _Hmmm...I really __**should**__ wash those, _she thought, grimacing at the thought of having to put her soft hands in grimy, greasy water. But she wanted to prove to her boyfriend she could be domestic and possible wife material. _Suck it up, Blair. This is your new life now, whether you like it or not. _She reached out for the dishcloth and dish liquid but was quickly interrupted by the sound of her telephone ringing in the kitchen nearby.

"I got it!" She yelled out, grabbing the device and putting it up to her ear. "Hello?" She asked.

"I hope ya packed over there! We're outta here tonight!" A familiar female voice on the other line responded.

The voice belonged to her best friend of nearly eleven years, Jo Polniaczek-Bonner.

Blair cleared her throat nervously and picked a piece of invisible lint off her nightgown. "Well...you see..." she began nervously, clearing her throat again. "I _want_ to go but... I'm just not sure Casey will _let_ me go, is all. I haven't asked him yet," she admitted sheepishly.

Casey Clark, Blair's live-in boyfriend and was Jo's boss at the community center she worked at in the city of Peekskill, New York. She _had _liked Casey at one point when he and Blair began dating. All that changed when Blair agreed to live with him and she tried her utmost best to please him. When that happened, he changed.

He became more emotionally abusive and passive aggressive towards Blair no matter what she did. It was frustrating to all her friends, including Jo, but it was decided to let their friend make her own decision as to how to handle the situation. The best they could do was still be her friend.

Jo exhaled loudly. "Whaddya mean ya haven't asked him yet?!" She demanded in exasperation. "Jesus, Blair, is that man ya boyfriend or is he ya damn _father_? It's only _two_ days! Don't be such a baby, Blair, for cryin' out loud! Can't ya just tell Casey I'm havin' a nervous breakdown or somethin'?"

Blair nearly burst out laughing at that response. She absentmindedly picked up a cookbook and flipped through it. "Casey already thinks you're out of your mind, Jo," she pointed out, her mind flashing back to when she and Casey had an argument at a party one night and Jo gave him a piece of her mind; yelling and calling him a lousy partner for Blair in front of everyone.

"Whatever you try to tell him isn't going to carry much weight anyways." She sighed, setting the book back on the table. She quickly changed the subject. "So, are you at work?" She asked.

Jo rolled her eyes at her friend's question. _Where else would I be?_ She thought. "No, Blair. I'm at the Playboy Mansion," she replied sarcastically.

Blair rolled her eyes back at Jo's response even though she knew Jo couldn't see her. "Well, I_" she began but she immediately stopped talking when she heard footsteps. "Wait a minute. Jo, I'll call you _right_ back!" She whispered hastily, quickly hanging up before Jo could even respond.

Blair quickly got to work making the finishing touches to her partner's coffee. Casey never had time to eat breakfast but he _always _had time for coffee.

"Babe, hurry up or you'll be late for work!" She hollered, walking towards the stairs leading up to the rest of her spacious mansion. Blair may have changed in accepting Casey but being rich was not something she was ready to give up and Casey obviously didn't mind _that. _As Blair waited, she ran back to the countertop and grabbed his coffee.

Casey, a tall, handsome man with dark curly hair and olive skin, came trotting down the stairs of the house he shared with Blair.

As soon as Casey arrived downstairs, Blair greeted him with his morning coffee and her best smile.

He meticulously began fixing his tie and brushing his suit over with his hands. Instead of greeting his girlfriend, Casey only grimaced in annoyance. "Blair, what do I have to tell you about yelling throughout the damn house?" He asked irritatingly. "I can't _stand_ it when you do that, especially so early in the morning."

Blair's face fell. "I just didn't want you to be late, sweetheart," she told him in a hurt voice. She felt as if she could die, right then and there.

Casey only waved her off indifferently. "Ah, doesn't matter. How do I look?" He asked. His suit was wrinkled and the colors were off but Blair didn't have it in her to tell him.

Blair only nodded. "You look _great_," she lied, giving him a fake, saccharine sweet smile.

_Should I tell him I'm planning to go on vacation without him? _She thought.

Casey grabbed his coffee from Blair and turned to grab his suit jacket from the closet.

"Have a good day at work, sweetie," Blair said to him as he put it on and checked out his attire in the closet mirror.

"Uh-huh," he responded nonchalantly.

Blair frowned. She cleared her throat and took one more stab at trying ease her way into asking him about her sudden plans.

"Um…_Babe_…"she began.

Casey groaned and glared at his girlfriend in annoyance. _"What?" _He growled impatiently.

Blair frowned. _Guess I'm not going to ask him then, _she thought. _Not if he sounds like that. _

She then decided to ask another question instead. "Uh, what would you like for me to cook for dinner? Anything special?" She asked, trying her best to sound chipper. "There's this roast chicken recipe I want to try and_"

Casey interrupted her, raising up a hand. "Blair, I don't give two _shits_ what you fix for dinner. I may not even_ make _it in time for dinner. You know how Fridays are at the Center."

Blair crossed her arms together and pursed her lips in thought. "Funny how so many people at the Center are in need of help on Fridays," she said thoughtfully. "You'd think Friday was the only busy day and not the other days of the week."

Casey gave his girlfriend a scoff. "Well then. Maybe it's a good thing I'm the one who's the boss there and you're not," he sneered. "You just _own _the damn place."

_What's __**that's **__supposed to mean? _Blair thought, staring at her hands. _Is that supposed to be a jab at me? _

He gave himself another once-over and gave his girlfriend a weak kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, sweetie," Blair said in an icy tone. "I won't wait up," she added. She had made up her mind then and there she was going on that trip after all after his snide remark. She gave him another one of her sugary sweet smiles.

Casey handed her his empty coffee mug after gulping his coffee down. "See ya," he replied, opening the door and walking out to the car; Blair's black Porsche.

When Blair was sure he was gone, she leaned against the front door, she blew out a breath in anxiety of what she was going to do next.

"He's going to _freak_," she said aloud to herself. She then shrugged. She ran back to the telephone and quickly dialed a number.

After the fourth ring, a man picked up the phone.

"Good morning, Miss Blair. Jo said she was expecting you," he replied. He then tried to put on his most seductive voice possible. "So, when are you going to run away with me, Miss Blair?"

Blair fought the urge to roll her eyes. She remembered her high school days back at Eastland Academy, seeing Jo deal with an annoying boy named Roy who was very similar to this man.

Before Blair could even respond, she could hear Jo's voice. "Forget it, Roger. She's gonna be runnin' away with _me_ this weekend," Blair heard Jo reply. Blair lightly giggled.

"_So_…what'd he say?" Jo asked nervously when she came on the line.

Blair blew out another breath. _Guess I'd better not tell her I didn't even ask him._

"What time are you coming to get me?" she asked.

Jo then squealed in excitement. "_No way! _You're _kiddin'_! OK! Uh…I'll be over around two or three this afternoon!"

"Are we inviting Nat, Tootie and the others?" Blair asked curiously, thinking of her and Jo's other close friends.

"As cool as that would probably be, I don't think so. I really think _you _need this vacation…kinda get away from Casey. And anyways, Nat's being a writer and Tootie's off bein' an actress. Everyone's just gotten so _busy_ lately."

Blair nodded wistfully. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed. She then changed the subject, putting on her most chipper voice. "Well, what should I pack then? What do I bring?"

"Well, don't plan on packin' all of Bloomingdales, Blair. It's only two days. Just be reasonable."

"_Oooooook_. So what _reasonable _stuff can I bring?"

"I dunno. It's in the mountains so I assume it gets cold up there at night. Guess I'm just gonna bring everythin'."

"_Now_ who's being reasonable?" Blair wisecracked.

"Well, at least I'm bein' practical!"

"Well, if you're going to be '_practical', _then I guess I will be, too," Blair decided, grinning. "And I'm going to see what type of fishing stuff Casey has in his closet," she added.

There was a pause as Blair had a sudden thought. _What the hell do I know about fishing? _

"Jo, I don't know the first _thing_ about fishing," she admitted. "Do you?"

"Oh, _sure_, Blair...we fished a _whole_ lot down in the Bronx," Jo said sarcastically. She then snorted out a laugh. "Of _course_ I don't know how to fish! But if Casey can do it, how hard can it possibly be?"

Blair chuckled. "Alright, alright. You've made your point," she said. "As long as I don't have to touch anything weird, slimy or gross."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now will ya quit yappin' and get ready? I'll see ya later, alright? _Be ready_."

And with that, Jo hung up.

Blair set the phone down and began to crack her knuckles.

"Well then. Looks like I'm going fishing," she said to herself. _Maybe it won't be too bad. It's not Bora Bora or Tahiti but it's Jo's best. I guess it'll do. _"Time to pack," she said, heading towards the bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2: Time to Pack

_Chapter Two: Time To Pack_

"Alright, Roger, I'm outta here. Don't miss me too much, OK?" Jo told her co-worker, teasing. It was the end of Jo's shift and she was eager to go home, pack and meet up with Blair.

Roger nodded, brushing the shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. "Will do, Jo. I'll see you Monday then. Oh, and tell Miss Blair I said hello."

Jo made a face and rolled her eyes. Roger was a young intern at the Center from the South. He was well-meaning and hardworking but his crush on Blair could be aggravating sometimes. Jo only nodded. "Sure, Roger. See ya Monday."

With that, Jo picked up her purse and walked away. She fished for her car keys and left the building, going towards her car; a red, used, souped-up '67 Pontiac GTO convertible, given to her by her father Charlie as a surprise wedding gift. Every time she saw it, it gave her chills. _I still can't believe this baby is all mine_, she thought, grinning happily. Jo was in love with anything that had a motor attached to it.

She unlocked the driver's side door and got in, putting her key into the ignition. She turned it and the car immediately came to life. She put on her seat belt, adjusted the rear view mirror, put the hood down and put her feet on the gas.

She beamed with delight as she drove down the road, on her way home to pack and pick up Blair.

_Ready for the vacation of a lifetime, _she thought as she rolled down the streets of Peekskill.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blair was in panic mode, digging through her closet and drawers. She was having a hard time trying to decide what was suitable enough for a two-day fishing trip.

_Damn it, _she thought crossly as she pursed her lips in concentration, tossing various items aside. She stared at the heap of bathing suits, shirts, PJs, dresses, skirts and shoes she had amassed and thrown on the floor. _This is harder than I thought it would be._

She sat on the bed and frowned. _I wonder if Jo's having the same dilemma I am._

She then laughed. "Who am I kidding? It's _Jo_," she said. Jo didn't quite have the wardrobe Blair had and was much more practical than Blair was when it came to preparation.

She stared at the clock on the wall. _Better hurry. Jo will be here soon._

Blair got up and quickly went over to finish packing her suitcase.

* * *

_Let's see now…two sweaters…two pairs of pants…some long underwear…three shirts...a pair of socks...a robe…two sets of PJs, _Jo thought, running a list off in her head as she packed the items neatly in her duffel bag when she arrived home. Years of running away from things as a kid had taught her not to overpack. It slowed people down that way.

_Hmmm…would it be overdoin' it if I packed an extra pair of socks? _She pondered, tapping her finger against her chin.

She shrugged and grabbed another roll of socks and tucked them into her bag.

As she set her bag on the bed, she suddenly felt a pang of urgency. _I gotta call Rick! I gotta at least tell him where I'm goin' so he doesn't flip when he sees I'm not here, _she thought hastily, thinking of her husband of nearly two years.

Jo thought about her goofy, kind, and good-natured husband. He was the sweetest and kindest man Jo had ever met. She loved him…or at least, she _thought _she did. Since he was a musician who traveled all over the country and the world, promoting his work, Jo barely saw him. Once in a while, he'd come home for a few weeks but then, he'd be gone again.

He'd either write letters to her or call her on the phone from time to time or send postcards of all of his adventures. But writing, calling and popping up occasionally to spend time with his wife wasn't enough. Jo needed _more_ and Rick just wasn't fulfilling that lately.

Jo picked up the phone to speak to Rick through his manager.

"Hello there! You've reached Ron Taber, music manager extraordinaire! Leave a message and I'll call you back!" It was only a recorded message.

_Voice message. Go fuckin' figure. Fuckin' fantastic, _she thought bitterly. She slammed the phone down and turned back to her duffle bag. _I'm so tired of this. Every time I need to speak to my husband, I have to go through his goddamn **manager **first_.

She glanced at the wedding picture of her and Rick standing proudly on the dresser. In a fit of anger, she slammed the picture down.

_Just fuck it_, she thought, her nostrils flaring. _I'm outta here. What Rick doesn't know, won't hurt him._

* * *

Blair began just throwing random stuff in her suitcase, mindlessly humming to herself. _Practical sucks! _She thought. _I need to be prepared **and **look my best when I'm out there in the woods. I'm sure Jo won't mind._

"Speaking of being prepared, there's _got_ to be some more stuff here I can bring," she said to herself.

She turned her attention to the various knickknacks on her night table. "Compact mirror, nail file, Chapstick, nail polish…" she pushed those items into her purse. She began absentmindedly tossing various other items into her bag from the top of her night table.

Blair then opened one of the drawers and gasped. _Aha! Perfect! _She reached in, pulling out a 38 caliber pistol handgun. _Casey's gun, _she thought as she ran her fingers lightly across the cold, hard steel. She remembered seeing Casey put it into the drawer and had asked him about it. He told her it was to keep their house safe from intruders which Blair understood. Blair didn't know the first thing about using a gun. _Well, we'll probably need it for protection. Who knows what will be out there in those woods! Bears, snakes, serial killers._

She grabbed the gun by the tail end and put it into her purse along with the extra bullets Casey had put into the drawer as well.

_Hmmm….intruders remind me there's something else I have to do…_

She quickly ducked back into her purse and fished out her wallet. She dug out all her credit cards and went over to pull a rather heavy safe from the closet.

She unlocked it using the combination code she remembered. Opening it, she placed the credit cards inside of it. _It's not that I don't **trust **Casey, _she thought. _But we **are **living together. Anything could happen. Just trying to be safe than sorry. _She pushed the safe back into the closet.

She turned her attention back to her suitcase. It was stuffed, threatening to burst and stuff was hanging out from all sides. She opened it to fix it and sat on it to close it back, pushing back the latches.

_There! I'm all done!_

She smiled proudly at herself. "Ready to hit the road," she said. "Now I just have to wait for Jo."


	3. Chapter 3: Hittin' the Road

_Chapter_ _Three: Hittin' the Road_

It was nearly three in the afternoon when Jo pulled up in front of the driveway of Blair's house. She honked her horn loudly to make her presence known. As soon as the garage door opened, Jo's jaw dropped.

Blair stood, surrounded by _things_. In one hand, she held a suitcase bursting to boot with all types of fishing equipment, a cooler and a lantern at her feet.

Blair wore an expensive white designer strapless sundress with white leather sandals. She had a flowing white scarf wrapped around her head along with dark black Ray Bans covering her eyes and dark red lipstick on her lips complemented the look.

Jo wore a simple white blouse with black buttons, black jeans and black boots and barely any makeup on except for dark eyeliner around her eyelids and an almost clear shade of pink lipgloss on her lips. She had put her long brown hair up into a ponytail and had let some of her hair flow freely in the front as bangs.

Jo got out of the car to help assist Blair. "Blair, what the hell? I said to pack reasonably," she protested. "Why'd ya bring the lantern? The place already _has _electricity."

"Yeah but we _have _to be prepared, Jo. I want to take it anyway...just in case," Blair replied.

Jo stared at Blair in confusion. "In case of _what?_" She asked.

"Jo, there might be some crazed killer out there somewhere that cuts off the electricity and then tries to kill us all or something."

Jo only stared incredulously at her friend. _She's really serious about this._

She only rolled her eyes. "Oh _yeah_. OK, Blair. _Sure_. The lantern will _really_ come in handy then," she said sarcastically, trying her best not to laugh. "Maybe we could tow Casey's crappy car over there and the killer could use the spark plugs." She motioned with her head to the used, beat-up Toyota Corolla Casey had left behind in the garage.

Blair bit back a chuckle. "You know, we just might have to. That hunk of junk barely even makes it down the driveway." She shook her head in disbelief. _Bastard took my car. Damn him._

Jo shook her head. "Well, since the day's almost shot, we'd better hurry up and get out of here. C'mon!"

Blair and Jo lugged all of Blair's belongings into the backseat and trunk of Jo's car together. After Jo had closed the trunk, she went into the front seat and pulled out a Polaroid camera.

"Wait! Before we go, I just wanna, ya know, make some memories. So let's take a picture together, 'kay?"

Blair grinned. "Jo, that's so sweet! Good idea! OK! Let me just fix my hair and makeup first!"

Jo gave Blair an annoyed look. "Blair, ya look fine! C'mon! Let's _be_ in the moment without it looking so _contrived_."

Blair huffed. "_Fine_. If you must…"

Jo held up her camera in front of her and her friend and smiled widely.

"Smile!" Jo exclaimed. Blair rested her chin on her friend's shoulder and gave the camera a megawatt smile.

"Let's do this!" Jo exclaimed after she had taken the picture. Blair grinned widely, throwing her arms in the air in excitement.

_Two days on the road with your best friend. What could be better? _Blair thought happily.

* * *

The two women had been driving down the interstate for nearly two hours when it dawned on Blair that she had packed her partner's gun in her purse. _Guess Jo has a right to know it's there._

"Uh, Jo? Do you mind taking care of the gun?" She asked, pulling it out of her purse.

Jo's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets when she saw it.

"A gun? A _gun_?! Blair, why the _hell_ would ya bring _that_ with us?" She asked in disbelief.

Blair gave her friend a incredulous look. "_Really, _Jo? I brought it to protect ourselves! We could come up against _anything _in the woods, especially at night. Snakes, bears, psycho killers." She paused, biting her lip before continuing. "I don't really know how to use it. I figured _you _did. Didn't that dodo club of yours teach you how to handle firearms?"

Jo rolled her eyes at Blair's deliberate mispronunciation of her former childhood gang's name; the Young Diablos. She was too engrossed in thinking about the gun to correct her or give her a snide wisecrack.

"Ugh. Just give me the damn thing," she said, holding out her hand.

Blair handed it to her carefully along with the bullets. "I don't think we'll _ever _need to use this thing anyway but I'm _not _turnin' back around to put it back so let's just keep goin'," Jo admonished.

Jo quickly placed the gun and bullets under her seat and continued driving. To ease their boredom, she turned on the radio. A pop music station playing current hits filled the car.

"So, who's place is this again?" Blair asked Jo curiously as she bopped along to the music.

"Oh, it's Mary Ellen's, the day secretary's," Jo informed her. "She's gettin' a divorce and she gets the vacation house. She's lettin' all her friends use the place, bein' nice, I suppose. So she let me use it for the weekend."

Blair only nodded. "Well, that sounds nice of her," she remarked. "At least she and her husband _had _a vacation home together. Casey _never _wants to go anywhere and do anything and we're not even married!"

"Speakin' of Casey, what'd he say when ya told him you were leavin'?" Jo asked curiously.

Blair only shrugged nonchalantly. "Never even told him," she admitted.

Jo's jaw flew open in shock. "Oh, _shit. _Blair, he's gonna kill ya," she replied.

Blair made a face. "Well, it's _true_, Jo!" she exclaimed indignantly. She crossed her arms like a petulant child. "As soon as I agreed to live with him and be his partner, he changed! He never lets me do _anything_ fun. All he wants me to do is loaf around the house all damn day while he's…"

She paused, glancing at Jo, swallowing hard and looking slightly teary. _Probably out fucking some other girl_, Blair thought sadly.

"Doing God knows what," she finished, frowning.

Jo also frowned. She reached out to squeeze Blair's shoulder to comfort her. _Lousy son of a bitch_, Jo thought, silently gritting her teeth. _Blair deserves better._

"But I left him a note and some food for him to microwave so he should be fine," Blair said flippantly, waving her hand. She paused again, glancing awkwardly at Jo.

"So…guess you haven't heard anything from Rick, have you?" She asked, wanting so badly to change the topic.

She watched as Jo's knuckles rapidly turned white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly. Her jaw began to tighten and she only glared at Blair, her green eyes flashing. Hearing her husband's name had reminded Jo how angry she was with him. She didn't say a word to Blair.

_Guess not_, Blair thought. _Maybe she'll tell me when she's ready._

"Never mind," she said quickly, turning the opposite way, instead turning her attention to staring at herself in the side mirror.

She began pouting her lips and making kissy faces in the mirror.

Jo stared at her friend in amusement. "Blair, whaddya _doin_'?" She asked in mock exasperation. She giggled.

Blair also giggled. "Trying to ease my boredom," she answered.

At that moment, the two girls spotted a rather large semi-tanker truck on the right side of the road honking at them. Blair stared at the mud flaps on the bottoms of the truck near the tires. They had silhouettes of naked girls on them and a bumper sticker that read I LOVE TITS in capital letters. Blair grimaced.

_What a scumbag_, she thought in disgust.

"Friend of yours?" Jo asked teasingly, nudging Blair.

"Oh, shut up, Jo," she replied, rolling her eyes. She playfully gave Jo the finger.

Jo gasped in mock horror. "OMIGOD! Blair Warner just flipped me off! Somebody call the presses! Little Miss Society Darlin', herself, just fuckin' flipped me off! If only Monica Warner could see her daughter now!" She teased, bursting out laughing hysterically.

Blair happily joined in, clutching her belly from laughing so hard. Her head fell on Jo's shoulder as she tried to contain her raucous laughter to no avail.

She couldn't remember when she'd laughed harder.


	4. Chapter 4: Letting Our Hair Down

_Chapter Four: Letting Our Hair Down_

Blair rose from a deep sleep a few hours later, her head drooped down, almost in her lap. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced upwards towards the sky. It was nighttime.

Blair rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stared at Jo, who was still focused on the road in front of them. Her stomach growled with hunger and her muscles ached from being in the car for so long. She wanted to take a break.

She stretched out her arms and yawned. "How much longer do we have to go?" She asked, yawning some more. "I'm hungry."

Jo continued to keep her eyes on the road. "'Bout another hour or so," she informed Blair. "We've got enough food for a month."

Blair pouted. "But, Jo…I'll never make it until then," she whined. "Can't we stop for just a _few _little minutes? What's a few minutes?"

Jo groaned. "Aw, _c'mon_, Blair! We're not gonna get to the cabin 'til after dark as it is!"

"Then what difference does it make if we stop?" Blair asked, frowning. "Come on. I barely ever get to do stuff like this! Can't we stop? Please, Jo, _Please?"_

Jo sighed. She realized then and there Blair was going to continue to whine and beg and pout if she didn't get her way. And Jo would have no choice but to give in just to shut her up.

_That's Blair for ya,_ Jo thought, sighing again.

"Fine. _Fine_," she said crossly. "But it's only gonna be a _quick _stop."

She ignored Blair's satisfied, cat-that-ate-the-canary-looking grin and looked around for the nearest highway exit.

"Oooh! The Silver Crown. I like that name! Let's go there!" Blair said, pointing to a large bar with huge neon lights.

"Jeez, could they get any brighter with those damn lights?" Jo pointed out. "Are ya sure ya wanna stop _here_? This doesn't exactly look like _your_ kinda place."

Blair gave her a look. "Are you _kidding_? I'm a weary traveler of sorts. I've been cramped in a car for _hours_ upon _hours_. I believe any place right now that has some food, some kind of drink and a comfortable place to sit is my kind of place."

Jo parked the car into the bar's large gravel parking lot and turned off the ignition. "Well, alright. Let's go," she said.

The two women stepped out of the car and made their way inside the bar.

It was nearly dark and crowded inside and there was loud honky-tonk music playing. People were mingling about; drinking, eating, smoking cigarettes, talking and dancing.

"Wow. This place is jumpin'," Jo commented as she and Blair walked their way through the throngs of people to find a seat.

"I'll say," Blair agreed. She then took a glance at her surroundings. "I mean, _look_ at this place! It's so _huge_!"

Jo nodded her agreement. The place _was _huge. There were dozens of tables and chairs full of people.

People were playing pool and billiards in one area of the bar and in another area, was a large stage with a dance floor.

Blair's eyes shone with excitement. "Isn't this _great_?" She asked, smiling broadly.

They spotted an empty table near the stage and sat down.

"Yeah. This reminds me of this bar my mom worked at a year or so ago when we lived in Texas," Jo mused.

"I didn't know you lived in Texas," Blair said, surprised.

"It was only for a few months," Jo said, shrugging. "After my folks split."

Before Blair could continue on talking, a ginger-haired waitress with a short silver minidress appeared before them with a pad and pen. She dropped their menus on the table in front of them.

"So, what'll it be, ladies?" She asked them.

"Do you have any of that Southern Comfort drink around here?" Blair asked, without missing a beat. "I'd really like to try that. _Straight_, by the way. Thank you."

Jo stared at Blair in shock. _Who is this woman and what has she done with Blair Warner?_ Jo thought. The Blair she knew was all about being prim and proper and ladylike. The Blair she knew drank white wine spritzers; not Southern Comfort.

Jo shook her head. "No thanks. I'm the driver. I'll just have a Coke, please."

The waitress nodded, writing down their orders. "Be right back," she said.

As soon as she left, Jo gave Blair a stern look.

"Blair!" She scolded.

"What? I'm just trying to have a good time. Is this my vacation or isn't it? I mean, you've gotten almost as bad as Casey!"

"Yeah, but I just haven't seen ya like this in awhile. I think I've gotten used to seein' ya more sedate," Jo replied.

Blair snorted a laugh. "Well, I've had it up to _here _with being sedate, Jo! _You_ told _me_ you and I were going to get out of town, let loose and let our _hair down_. And between you and me, the world had _better_ watch out, because Blair Warner's hair is _coming_ down!" She then whooped loudly, grinning.

Jo only stared, dumbfounded. _She surprises me every time, _she thought. _Leave it to Blair._

"Well, if that's the case, the hell with it!" Jo exclaimed, laughing.

The waitress came back with Jo and Blair's drinks. Jo quickly turned to her. "Ya know what? I changed my mind on my drink. I want a strawberry margarita with some Cuervo on the side, please."

The waitress nodded. "Comin' right up," she said.

Blair whooped again. "Yeah!" She shouted, reaching out to high-five Jo.

A second or so later, a tall, thin, handsome man with short and wavy sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes approached them.

_Damn, they're both sexy as hell. Especially the blonde one. Don't think I've __**ever **__seen them here before, _he thought. _There's something __**different **__about them. Lemme shoot my shot._

"Now, pray do tell, what's a couple of cuties like you doing around here in a place like this?" The man asked, grinning.

Jo immediately looked irritated. She hated when men used sleazy pick-up lines to hit on women. She gave the man a look of disgust and contempt to let him know they weren't interested.

"We're mindin' our own business. Why dont'cha try it?" she told him condescendingly.

_Huh. Didn't want her anyway. Let's try **her**_, the man thought, turning his attention to Blair.

Blair blushed and began toying with her hair, apparently flattered at being called a cutie.

_Think I'm gonna hurl_, Jo thought, fighting the urge _not _to throw up.

What Jo was _not _prepared for was for Blair to start telling this strange man her business. She listened in horror as her friend started blabbing.

"Well, we left town this weekend because we both wanted to go out and have a good time," Blair rambled. "And Jo here is upset because her husband won't call her while he's on the road…"

_Shut the fuck up, Blair! _Jo thought angrily. There was something she already didn't particularly like about this guy and here Blair was giving him information about her to him!

Jo kicked Blair under the table to shut her up.

Blair cleared her throat. "And…uh…we just wanted something to eat," she said lamely.

The man gave Blair a smile. "Well, well, well. You've come to the right place! This place has some chili that'll knock your socks off! You like chili?"

Before Blair could answer, their waitress came back with Jo's drink. She set it down and gave the man a cutting look. "Lee, are you bothering these girls?" She asked warningly.

Lee only smirked. "Shit, no. I just came to be friendly."

The waitress continued to glare at Lee. "Well, it's a good thing they're not all as _friendly _as you are," she said sarcastically, giving Jo a pitiful glance. Jo only nodded, completely understanding what the waitress truly meant.

Blair, on the other hand, didn't seem to understand Lee's true intentions. And if she did, she didn't seem to care. She seemed to_ enjoy_ getting attention from an attractive man.

Blair beamed at Lee. "Your name is Lee? I think I have an uncle with that name!" She said.

Lee smiled, rubbing Blair's shoulder. "Do you now? Is he funny? 'Cause if he is, then he and I have something in common!"

He then laughed at his own joke. Blair only laughed politely.

_I don't get it, _Blair thought, frowning at his joke.

Meanwhile, Jo only glared daggers at Lee and Blair. _Doesn't she know a creep when she sees one? His gross innuendos and come-ons are enough to make a cat sick. And what's up with him rubbin' on Blair's shoulder like that?_

Blair noticed Jo giving them both harsh glares.

"I don't mean to be rude," she said to Lee. "But I need to talk to my friend privately."

Lee ran his fingers through his wavy hair.

"Hey, I understand. I didn't mean to bother you. It's just so hard to _not _to notice two beautiful women such as yourselves."

He stood up, giving Blair a toothy grin. "You better dance with me, sweetheart. Or else I'll never forgive you."

Blair smiled. "That sounds fun," she said. "I'd love to."

With that, he walked away, winking at her.

Blair turned her attention to Jo. "Jo, that wasn't very nice," she reprimanded, scowling.

Jo rolled her eyes. "_Fuck_, Blair! Don'tcha know when ya bein' hit on?" She demanded crossly.

"And so what if he was? It's _your _years of watching your mom wait tables that's got you so jaded, that's all."

Jo only crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning. "Well…_maybe_," she admitted gruffly. "But _still_…I've got a bad feelin' 'bout that guy. Somethin' about him doesn't feel right to me."

"Jo, would you lighten up and just _relax_? You're making me nervous and it's kind of a buzzkill. Just relax," Blair replied. She then grabbed her shot of Southern Comfort and knocked it back, the whiskey immediately warming her insides.

She grinned at the feeling it gave her and signaled at the waitress to bring her another one. The waitress spotted her and nodded.

Blair turned to Jo. "So…tell me…Rick hasn't called you yet?" She asked concernedly.

Jo toyed with the rim of her margarita glass. "I'm just givin' him a taste of his own medicine," she admitted. "What an asshole."

Blair placed her hand on top of Jo's, rubbing it and giving her a look of sadness. "I'm sorry, Jo," she said. "I've been so excited to leave the house that…" she paused, interrupting herself. "I wonder if Casey's back yet…"

"I wonder if Rick's gotten back," Jo wondered, glancing down at her feet.

The two women then stared up at each other.

_Look at us, still worrying about those two! This is supposed to be **our** vacation! _Blair thought, shaking her head.

"When are you going to tell Rick to get lost, once and for all?" Blair asked her.

"Why don'tcha ditch that loser boyfriend of yours?" Jo countered.

They only stared at each other again, drifting off in thought and at a loss for words. Neither one had an answer.

Their waitress broke the eye contact, coming over with Blair's drink plus an extra one. "This one's on Lee," she told Blair, rolling her eyes as she set the extra drink down in front of her.

Blair put her hand over her heart and blushed again. "For _moi?_" _Good to know Blair Warner's still got it! Not that __**it **__actually went anywhere, _she thought, tossing her hair around and smiling smugly to herself.

She caught eyes with Lee, who was grinning at her and making dancing motions with his hands from across the room. Blair waved at him with her fingers, smiling back flirtatiously.

She turned back to Jo, giving her a serious look. "Look, Jo, I'm sure Rick will come home, notice you aren't there, freak out, call you a hundred thousand times and then Sunday night will be the night you'll call him back. Then come Monday, he'll be kissing the ground you walk on."

Jo smiled wistfully at Blair. _Trust Blair to always come through for me, just when I need her to,_ Jo thought, smiling gratefully at her friend.

"Exactly," Jo replied, nodding resolutely.

Blair gave her a half-smile. "Now," she said, standing up from her seat as the band began to strike up. "I believe it was _you_ who said we were going to have some fun!" She then grabbed her two shots of Southern Comfort and hit them both, back to back. "So let's go have some fucking_ fun!"_

Jo had to laugh. _The booze must __**really **__be kickin' in for Blair to start cussin', _she thought.

She whooped loudly and took a long sip of her margarita as she followed Blair to the dance floor.


	5. Chapter 5: The Death of Lee Kincaid

_Chapter Five: The Death of Lee Kincaid_

**_AN: Warning - This chapter has attempted rape and acts of violence._**

* * *

The music blared loudly as Blair and Lee danced together, Lee buying them both drink after drink. Blair couldn't help but drink them all. She didn't want to seem ungrateful or a wet blanket so she accepted all of the booze Lee sent her way.

Meanwhile, Jo was dancing with a guy she had just met named Simon but could hardly keep up with him as he was a much better dancer than she was.

However, she had more pressing matters on her mind than dancing. She tried to keep her eye on Blair and Lee whenever she went past them.

As she and Simon danced past them during their third song, she noticed Blair holding a bottle of beer while being much more giggly than Jo had ever seen her before.

_Shit, she's drunk,_ Jo thought in dismay, peering over Simon's shoulder to get a better look. Blair looked like she was out of breath as she was laughing about something but from what Jo could see, Lee hadn't exactly said anything that would make Blair even _want _to laugh. He was, however, studying Blair very closely.

Jo pursed her lips. _I know that look. He's trying to score_ _before the night is over, _she thought. _Not on my watch._

When the song ended, she turned over to Simon and thanked him politely as another song started playing. She walked over to Blair and Lee.

"Hey, Blair! I'm gonna head over to the little girls' room and then we gotta go!" She yelled to Blair over the loud music.

Blair hardly acknowledged her. The alcohol was making her feel slightly woozy. Blair could hardly keep her eyes open; every time she tried to keep them open, it felt like there were three Jos instead of just one in front of her.

"Sure, Jo…ready when you are," she said dopily, swaying with the music.

Jo frowned, giving her friend and Lee a quick glance. _It'll only be a few minutes. A few minutes, _she repeated in her mind. _Then I'll get Blair and we'll leave. _She quickly headed off to find the bathroom.

_On second thought…_Blair thought, turning her head towards where she had last seen Jo. Her stomach felt queasy and she felt dizzy. _I really feel awful. _"Jo, I'm coming with you!" She called out.

But Jo had already disappeared through the crowd of people to find the bathroom.

She moaned, rubbing her head. Blair wanted to go the bathroom with Jo. "I don't feel so good," she said to herself.

She took a step and stumbled, dropping her bottle of beer.

Lee quickly caught her before she hit the floor.

"Oops a-daisy," he said as he caught her, grinning mischievously as he tried to grope her. _Fuck, she feels so damn good, _Lee thought as he pressed his fingers against Blair's back and stomach. He could feel his erection grow with each touch he made with his fingers. He already started picturing Blair without her clothes and the image only made him more aroused. He looked around at all his surroundings cautiously to start planning his next move.

_That annoying friend of hers is gone and no one else is even looking at us! _

"We gotta get you some fresh air, babygirl," he told Blair as he brushed one of his fingers against her lower back.

Blair's eyes blinked rapidly. _What about Jo? I need to wait for Jo! _She felt like her mind was screaming at her to wait for Jo but her body was too delayed to do so.

Blair's mouth felt dry and parched. She felt as if she could barely talk. _Fresh air __**does**__ sound good, _she thought. She let Lee steer her away outside.

* * *

Jo tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in line amongst fifteen other women for the bathroom.

_I've never seen a line this fuckin' long in all my life! _She thought irritatingly as she glanced at her watch.

* * *

Blair was wrong. The fresh air she was getting outside _definitely _wasn't helping. She felt weak, pale and dizzy as Lee assisted her outside the bar onto the parking lot.

"Oh, shit," Blair swore as she stumbled, trying to keep her balance.

"What?" Lee asked her.

"Stop," she said, clutching her belly.

"What for?" Lee asked cautiously, taking a quick glance around. The parking lot was empty.

"I'm spinning," Blair said, feeling sicker by the minute. She instantly regretted all the Southern Comfort she had consumed plus the three beers she had drank. Or was it four or five? Blair couldn't remember. All she knew is that she felt horrible.

Then without warning, she keeled over, clutching her stomach as she vomited in the dirt.

* * *

Blair and Jo's waitress returned from waiting on other tables to pick up their check. Everyone was gone.

She shook her head in disappointment. She had hoped Blair wouldn't have fallen for Lee's tricks. He was a sleazy womanizer who used his good looks and smooth talking ways to prey upon unsuspecting women. And above all, he was married! That made him even worst of a person in her books.

She was glad Jo had seen right through him and refused to be another one of his one night stands.

She sighed. _That damn bastard is probably going to get that girl so wasted, she won't remember her name the next morning, _she thought mournfully. _Poor thing. She doesn't know what kind of man Lee Kincaid __**really**__ is._

She set the check down on the table, noticing Blair's purse still on the table.

_Wherever they went, it can't have been __**too **__far. The little lady left her stuff._

She picked up the purse and craned her head around the bar, looking around for any sign of Blair or Jo. She put the purse back on the table.

_They'll be back. Now just get on back to work._

* * *

"How are you feeling now, babygirl?" Lee asked Blair a few minutes later. He handed her his handkerchief and watched her wipe her mouth. He put his hand on Blair's back, rubbing her to soothe her. With each inch, he got braver and braver, until his hand reached the small of her back.

Lee moved to lean his head towards Blair's face. The spinning in Blair's head subsided a little as she began to regain her bearings. She didn't like the way Lee had his hands on her and she _definitely _didn't like how he was calling her 'babygirl' or leaning like he wanted to kiss her.

Blair slowly moved her head. "I'm fine now, thanks. Really. I'm actually starting to feel a little better," she told him, sniffling. She put the handkerchief back up to her nose.

Lee wasn't deterred. He licked his lips at Blair. "Yeah, you're really startin' to feel _real_ good to me, too," he said. He grabbed Blair's waist and pulled her to him. "You know that, babygirl?" He reached to grab at her ass.

Blair grimaced at being called _babygirl _again. It had a sexual connotation to it and she didn't like it. She was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable with each passing minute.

"Um…I think I'm just going to keep walking, thanks," she said uncomfortably, giving Lee a nervous smile as she pulled away. _Maybe if he sees how uncomfortable I am, maybe then he'll leave me alone._

* * *

Meanwhile, Jo had finally left the bathroom. Jo didn't think she'd ever seen a restroom as huge and as crowded in her life! _I didn't think I'd __**ever**__ leave!_

She walked back out to where she'd last seen Blair. Blair was gone.

"Blair?" She called out frantically, scanning the room.

_Oh, God. She musta ran off with that goddamn creep! _She thought. She quickly ran back to their table. Blair's purse was still there, along with the check the waitress had left. But no Blair.

Jo picked up the purse and frowned. "OK, so she obviously left her purse and didn't pay the tab. Not like Blair to dine and dash. She must still be here somewhere," she thought aloud.

She groaned loudly. "Damn it, Blair! Why can't we just go out and eat like _normal _people?" She took off running.

She ran up to their waitress. "Excuse me? Have ya seen my friend? Ya know, the blonde one?" she asked. She handed the waitress some bills to pay for her and Blair's drinks.

The waitress shook her head. "No. Don't think so. Hopefully she's not with that Lee fellow."

Jo's heart dropped. _Shit! I **knew** it!_ "Uh…thanks!" She said, running out the door.

* * *

"No, Lee, I'm with somebody," Blair pleaded as she tried to push Lee off her. Lee had pushed Blair up onto the trunk of a stranger's car, pawing at her dress and trying to feel her up.

"So what? I'm with someone, too. Now c'mon, Blair. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want to kiss you."

Blair shook her head. "No, Lee. I've been sick." She held her hands up in front of her face.

"Please, Blair…lemme kiss you…_please_…" he panted. Blair froze uncomfortably as Lee placed his lips upon her bare neck.

When he let go, he then began running his hands all along Blair's body.

"You're gorgeous! Did you know that? You're so fucking gorgeous!" He exclaimed.

If Blair hadn't of felt so rigid and uncomfortable, she probably would've melted into a puddle at Lee's words but she didn't. Instead she felt scared and petrified.

"Blair, _relax_, OK? Relax." Lee said to her as he went to untie one of the shoulder straps on Blair's sundress, kissing it. Blair wriggled, trying desperately to get free.

Lee had then cupped one of her breasts through the fabric and was desperately trying to take her dress off, right outside of the parking lot.

She was no match for his strength. No matter how many times she tried to bat his hands away, wriggle, squirm and block him from touching her, he didn't relent or give up.

"No! Lee! Stop it! I mean it! No, I _mean_ it!" She croaked out, trying to bat his hands away. He only chuckled, which made Blair feel even worse. She instantly thought about Jo. _Jo must be worried sick about me! _She thought. "Jo's probably wondering where I am!" She shrieked.

_**That **__bitch? _Lee thought in contempt, as he thought of Jo, the one woman who turned him down.

"Fuck that bitch," he snarled, reaching out to grab at Blair's waist again.

Without even thinking, Blair struck Lee's face in anger. _Say what you want about me but **never** speak of Jo like that!_

Blair watched in horror as Lee's face twisted up into something horrific. Gone was the flirtatious, handsome man Blair had met in the bar. His face resembled something evil and horrifying.

He slapped Blair viciously across the face so hard, she thought her nose was broken.

Then she felt him slap her hard across the other side of her face.

He then grabbed her face with his large palm and began squeezing her cheeks as hard as he could. "Don't you _ever, ever _hit me, you fucking, slutty bitch! You hear me?" He roared.

Blair felt a loud thud as he lifted her body and turned her around and pinned her harshly on the back of the trunk. She lay on her stomach and Lee had pinned her arms and hands behind her back. She instantly felt her head throb and the pain of being slammed against the car as she desperately struggled.

She felt him pull her dress up and could hear him unbuckle his belt to release himself. She could feel his hardness rub unforgivingly against her rear end and it both sickened and frightened her. "Please don't hurt me, Lee! Please don't hurt me!" she pleaded.

Lee yanked Blair up by the hair and slammed her head against the trunk, turning her head up to face the left side. "Shut up, you stupid slutty whore! Shut the fuck up, bitch! You hear me?" he growled.

Blair's eyes welled up with uncontrollable tears as snot and tears ran down her face. _He's going to rape me! Oh, God! He's going to rape me!_

"Don't hurt me, Lee! Please don't hurt me! _Please_!" She screeched out frantically again. She felt his hands grip her underwear. Her ankles were beginning to give way. She howled out in pain as she felt Lee put more pressure on her arms.

Just as she felt no one would hear her or do anything to help save her, she heard _one_ familiar voice in the parking lot.

"Let her go!"

It was Jo.

"Jo!" She squealed desperately.

Lee turned to face her. "Get the fuck out of here," he rasped dangerously to her.

He turned his attention back to Blair.

"Jo!" Blair cried out again.

Instantly, Blair and Lee both heard the click of the barrel of a gun as Jo placed Casey's magnum directly at the nape of Lee's neck. Jo's thumb pulled back the hammer of the gun.

"You better let her go, you fuckin' ugly asshole or this parkin' lot's gonna be fuckin' _splattered_ with _you _all over it!" She threatened menacingly, glaring up at him fiercely.

Lee slowly raised his hands up, surrendering. He let go of Blair. Blair quickly darted away from Lee, clutching at her torn and tattered dress, sobbing.

"Relax. Calm down, would you? We were just having a little fun, that's all," Lee lied.

Jo didn't look convinced. She didn't remove the gun from Lee's neck. "Looks like you got a _real _fucked-up idea of fun," she snapped.

Blair tugged on Jo's arm. She was exhausted, relieved, embarrassed, horrified, humiliated and sore all at once. All she wanted was to leave and forget the night ever happened and that she had ever met Lee.

"Come on," she said to Jo. "Come on." She turned to walk towards their car.

But Jo wasn't done with Lee yet. She glared at him. "Turn around," she demanded. "Look at me!"

Lee turned, narrowing his eyes evilly at Jo.

Jo gritted her teeth, glaring at this evil, smug bastard who had the nerve to almost _rape_ her best friend. She wanted to give him some parting words before they left him for good. Something that would hopefully make him think twice.

"In the future, when a woman is cryin' like that, she's not _havin'_ fun!" She cried out at him tearfully.

Blair tugged on her arm again. "Jo, let's go," she sobbed, her head starting to pound. "Let's go."

Jo turned to follow Blair back to their car to leave. And that's how it should've ended. Until they heard Lee shout at Jo, insulting her.

"Fuck you, bitch!" He yelled. "I should've just went ahead and fucked the slut!"

Jo stopped dead in her tracks. She turned her head around and stared at Lee, aghast.

She looked up at Lee, wide-eyed. "_What'd _ya say?" She asked, nearly gasping.

Lee only stared at Jo calmly. "I said suck my cock," he said to her smugly.

Without warning, in a flash of rage, Jo took two steps towards him and aimed the gun directly at his face. She pulled the trigger and watched as Lee fell in a heap against the same car he had attacked Blair on. He didn't move.

Blair gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my _God_," she said, horrified. "Oh my...Jesus Christ…Jo, you shot him. You _shot_ him…"

She turned to her friend in horror, her eyes wide and her mouth open but words failing her.

Jo stared at Lee's body, unflinching. "Get the car," she ordered Blair calmly.

_We gotta get __the __**fuck**__ outta here! _Was the only thought registering in her mind.

"_Jo_…" Blair began again.

"Get the car," Jo said again.

Blair didn't say another word. She dutifully did as she was told, forgetting about the pain she was already in.

Jo knelt down and stared into Lee's open, unseeing eyes. Something about them made her feel somewhat _satisfied. _Flashbacks of her time in Texas came flowing through her mind like a waterfall.

Her mom at work one day at a bar. Her agreeing to wait for her mother after school as a young teen and meeting some patron while she waited. And her getting assaulted and raped by the same patron, right inside the men's bathroom of the bar. The older man threatening to harm her if she ever told anyone. Jo remembered being angry and disappointed at her mother because she arrived late; too late to save her.

_Not too late to save Blair, at least, _she thought morosely.

All of those things that happened forced them to move back to New York. Jo never told anyone what had happened to her, even when it had almost happened to a close friend of her and Blair's years ago. She had kept her secret locked inside and acted like it had never happened. She never even told her mother. She just gave her some cock and bull story she couldn't even remember. She just wanted _out_ of Texas.

The memories went through her mind. She peered into Lee's eyes. She imagined he was _her _attacker.

"Ya watch your mouth, buddy," she whispered to his body.

She suddenly heard the loud screeching of tires. Blair had arrived with the car.

"Jo! Come on!" She yelled.

Jo got up from Lee's body and calmly walked towards the car, her hand still tightly clutching the gun.

As soon as she got in, Blair quickly sped away as quickly as she could out of the parking lot.

"Shit! Damn it! Which way!?" Blair asked anxiously as they made it towards the exit of the parking lot.

"Just turn left! We'll go west! West!" Jo screamed out frantically.

Blair turned the car wildly as the two women swiftly made their way out of the parking lot of the Silver Crown and onto the interstate like two bats out of hell.


	6. Chapter 6: Making Plans, Part Deux

_Chapter Six: Making Plans, Part Deux_

Cars and trucks honked loudly as Blair wove wildly in and out of traffic on the freeway. However, her mind was focused on her friend as she nervously watched her sit quietly in her seat, her head resting on the window and her hands cradling the gun she had just used not even fifteen minutes before to shoot and kill Lee.

Blair was almost afraid to open her mouth. She knew Jo had a bad temper. She remembered being at the brunt of it once when they were kids and Jo had punched her in the face once.

But that was different. _Jo could go to __**jail**__, _Blair thought, her heart racing. _We __**need **__to do something! _She thought. _But what? I don't even know where the hell we're going!_

"Jo?" Blair asked tentatively, glancing at Jo before turning her eyes back on the road.

Jo didn't answer.

"Jo? Where are we going?" Blair asked again.

Jo popped her head from the cold, flat glass. "I don't _know_, Blair! I don't know! Just shut up so I can think!" she snapped.

Tears ran down Blair's face at Jo's testiness. Jo caught a glance at her. Blair's cheeks and lips were bruised and her nose was slightly swollen. Plus she was still wearing the same torn, dirty dress Lee had destroyed.

"Shouldn't we call the police, Jo?" Blair asked.

Jo then stared incredulously at Blair. "And tell 'em _what_ exactly, Blair? Whaddya wanna tell 'em, huh?" She asked snappishly.

"Tell them what happened, of course!" Blair said.

"Which part?!" Jo demanded.

Blair couldn't believe what she was hearing. "_All of it!_ That he-he-he tried to rape me!" Blair sobbed out.

Jo slammed her fist on the glove compartment in frustration and anger. "About a hundred goddamn people saw ya dancin' cheek to cheek all fuckin' night! Who's gonna believe ya!? We just don't_ live_ in that kind of a world, Blair!"

_How can she be so fuckin' naïve?! Nobody with a right mind is gonna believe our story! We've got no proof!_

Blair burst out crying again.

Jo then let out a frustrated shriek, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. "Goddamnit! Pull over!" Jo screamed out.

Blair didn't utter another word, afraid of another outburst from Jo. She slammed on the brakes and watched as Jo got out of the car, flinging the car door shut behind her. About a minute later, she heard Jo retching nearby.

Blair lay back in her seat, staring blankly up at the top of the roof of the car. _What am I going to do?_ She thought hopelessly. Her mind thought of her mom and dad and her little half-sister Bailey. Her close friends, Tootie and Natalie. Mrs. Garrett and Beverly Ann. Pippa and Andy…her heart sank as she thought of all her loved ones back home in Peekskill. None of them had a clue as to where she and Jo were and now would they even risk coming to their rescue now if they found out what had happened?

Blair knew her friends would most likely have her and Jo's backs but she couldn't see them risking their own livelihoods to help her and Jo in _this _situation. Jo had _killed _somebody, despite it being to defend Blair. Plus, Blair wasn't sure she was ready for people to know just yet what had happened to her; the memories were still too raw.

Blair continued to let the tears fall silently down her cheeks. She had barely even noticed Jo finally come back in the car. Blair mindlessly scooted over to the passenger side and continued staring blankly up at the car roof.

Jo rested her hand on Blair's shoulder. "Blair? You alright?" She asked.

Blair didn't answer. She only moved her head slowly and stared at Jo with a blank stare.

"Now, I had to get a clear head but now I've been thinkin'…I gotta get it together. I gotta find someplace and just get a cup of coffee and just _sit _for a bit. Do ya wanna come?"

Blair only continued to stare at Jo blankly.

"And then…maybe we can…plan our next move," Jo concluded. She then frowned, staring at Blair's face.

Jo's heart nearly broke at seeing her best friend's face up close. Blair had bruises along both of her cheeks from when Lee had slapped her, a small cut on her left cheek and it looked like her nose was beginning to bleed.

The blood had started to drip from her nose and down her face but Blair didn't seem to notice nor care she was bleeding.

Jo quickly grabbed a handkerchief from the glove compartment and began cleaning the blood and tears from her friend's face.

"So does that sound like a plan?" Jo asked after she had finished.

She watched as Blair only nodded her head slowly.

Jo then started the car and pulled away.

* * *

Later, the two found themselves at a truck stop drinking cheap coffee.

"So listen, Blair," Jo told her as she sat across from Blair, lowering her head so only Blair could hear her. "Now we got we gotta be inconspicuous. You know what that means, do you?"

Blair was too tired and drained to argue with Jo over what _inconspicuous _meant.

"Yes," she answered testily.

"It means don't talk to anybody; don't draw attention to yourself in any way. Do you understand that?"

Blair gripped the table firmly, her fingers twitching. _I just got brutally attacked and almost __**raped**__ and she's here talking to me like I'm a fucking kindergartener!_

"Tell me ya understand that," Jo said to her firmly.

Blair only nodded passive-aggressively.

"Good. Now we have to think this through. We have to be _smart._ _Now _is _not _the time to panic. If we panic, it's all over. Nobody saw anything and nobody knows it was us. We're still OK. Now we just have to figure out our next move."

Blair scoffed haughtily. "Our next move? Our next _move_? Gee, Jo! This is _some_ vacation! I'm having lots of fun!" She exclaimed sarcastically.

Jo glared at Blair angrily. "Well, ya know somethin'? If you weren't so concerned with havin' a good time, we wouldn't _be _here right now!"

Blair gave Jo a fierce glare. She stared at her hands which began to shake violently.

"Just what is _that _supposed to mean?" She asked in a hurt voice.

"It means shut up, Blair," Jo snapped.

"So you're saying that this is all my fault, aren't you? Well, that's just _fantastic!_"

Blair got up from her place at the table, grabbing her purse. In her hast to leave Jo, she accidentally knocked over her coffee cup, watching it shatter.

"I'll pay for that," she told the waitress meekly as she refilled Jo's coffee cup. "I have to…uh…use the restroom…I…uh…sorry…."

She then left, storming out and wiping away even more tears from her wet cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7: Investigation Begins

_Chapter Seven: Investigation_ _Begins_

Poppy Anne Spencer had seen a bit of everything her five years working at the Silver Crown in East Aurora, New York. Occasional fist fights, arrests, drug use…She was sure she'd seen it all…until after her shift ended at three in the morning when she heard the screams of a woman who had found a dead body on her car in the bar's parking lot.

Several minutes later, a coroner's van had arrived along with the police. Poppy Anne found herself being interviewed by New York's State Investigator and occasional Silver Crown patron, Mr. Ted Rollins, outside the bar.

Police cars were parked all around the nearly deserted parking lot and Poppy Anne watched as Lee Kincaid's body was zipped into a body bag and put into the coroner's van.

Poppy Anne shook her head in disbelief. _I knew Lee was gonna get it __**one **__of these days,_ she thought. _Just didn't think it would be __**this **__day. _She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, puffing.

"So tell me, P.A," Ted Rollins said to Poppy Anne, as they watched the van drive away. "Could you identify them if you saw them again?" He asked, a pen and pad in his hand, ready to take notes.

Poppy Anne sighed exasperatedly and ran her nails through her limp ginger hair. It was 4 am and she was exhausted. She rolled her eyes, annoyed.

She sighed. "Ted, I've told you about twenty damn times. _Yes._ I could identify them but neither one of them was the type to _do_ something like this."

"Well, I wouldn't consider you to be an expert witness but what makes _you _so sure?" Rollins asked, pursing his lips.

Poppy Anne took a quick puff of her cigarette before she started talking.

"If waiting tables in a bar doesn't make you an expert on human nature, then I'm sorry, nothing will. I could've told you that Lee Kincaid would've ended up giving up the ghost in a parking lot. I'm just surprised as hell it didn't happen before now."

Rollins put the tip of his pen to his mouth thoughtfully. "Who do you think did it?" He asked.

"Did anybody ask his wife?" Poppy Anne asked, half-jokingly. "I hope _she's_ the one who did it."

Rollins gave Poppy Anne an annoyed look. "P.A, cut the shit, will you? Do you have any ideas or not? I've been standing around in this damn parking lot all night and I _still _have to go file a report in time so I can continue this case!"

"_Fine_. If I _had_ to guess, I guess it would be some chick or her husband. But it wasn't either of those girls I met. The brunette girl left me a _huge _tip."

"Did you happen to see what kind of car they were in?" Ted asked.

Poppy Anne finished her cigarette and tossed the butt away. She rolled her eyes at Rollins. "It's a nightclub, not a drive-in, Ted. It's not like I follow the customers to the parking lot."

Rollins sighed tiredly. He figured he had gotten as much information from Poppy Anne as he could. Plus, he was tired.

"Alright, P.A, you go on home. We might have to call you if we need to question you but that's it for now."

Poppy Anne sighed, turning to walk away from Rollins. She then stopped and turned her head to face Ted. "Those girls just aren't the murderous type," she assured him before continuing to walk away towards her car.

* * *

_Should I call Casey and tell him what's happened to me? _Blair contemplated as she stood outside the bathroom.

_It sure beats being here stuck with a powder keg victim blamer, _she thought bitterly, thinking of Jo.

She waited until she could hear the operator. "Collect from Blair, please," Blair said into a payphone outside the restaurant's bathroom.

Blair absentmindedly began twirling the phone's cord with her finger as she waited for Casey to pick up the phone.

Twelve rings later, she thanked the operator and hung up the phone dejectedly.

_It's four am. Where the hell could Casey be at this time? Why wouldn't he answer the damn phone?_

She sighed. _Unless he really __**is**__ out with some other girl._

Blair groaned and stomped into the bathroom to refresh herself.

As she walked towards the mirror, she noticed her bruised lips and bruised cheeks. _I feel like crap and I look like crap, _she thought sadly. _Could I possibly feel __**any **__worst than I already do right now? _

She made a mental note to buy some makeup to cover up her bruises somewhere later.

She quickly splashed warm water on her face and washed her hands.

There was a loud knock at the door followed by a female voice. "Blair! Blair, c'mon!" It was Jo.

Blair opened the door of the bathroom, charging out. She walked past Jo, ignoring her.

_Here we go…the silent treatment_, Jo thought. She ran out, after her.

Blair waited for Jo in the car. Without a single word to each other, Jo started the ignition and drove away.


	8. Chapter 8: Figure It Out

_Chapter Eight: Figure It Out_

"We're gonna go to the next town over and stop. Stay at a motel, I guess," Jo informed Blair as she continued driving.

_I guess we're on speaking terms again, _Blair thought. _Even though it's not the __**best**__ of speaking terms._

The sun was up early the next morning and the breeze blew freely as Jo had decided to bring the top down on her car.

"We both need to rest and maybe relax. Cool our heads. Plus, we need to figure out how to get some money. Blair, how much money do ya have?"

Blair silently kicked herself for ditching her credit cards back at home in Peekskill. She had tried to be smart and mature with her money and had only brought just enough cash for one weekend. But now, it seemed blatantly obvious the little bit she had brought with her wasn't going to be enough.

"Well…I'm not sure," she said honestly. "Let me check."

She brought up her purse and took out her wallet, pulling out bills.

"Uh…let's see…I have a grand total of sixty-four dollars," she said flatly.

As she recounted her bills, a breeze blew some of her money out of her hands.

"Better make that forty-four dollars," she said lamely. "I hate to say this but I'm cash poor at the moment." She then frowned. "For the first time in my life, I, Blair Warner, am actually _broke_."

Jo stared off into space, hardly paying Blair any attention. "We gotta get some money and we gotta get it fast," she muttered to herself, intent on finding the nearest motel.

* * *

It didn't take long for the two women to find a motel. Jo had found it by chance while driving along the highway.

_It's not the Ritz Carlton or even a Holiday Inn but I guess it'll do, considering neither of us has enough money, _Blair thought. _And anyways, with the night I've had, staying in a fleabag motel is the least of my worries! _

The two women had hardly spoken when they found the motel and when they stopped at a drugstore to grab snacks and makeup for Blair's face.

After they had unloaded Jo's car and checked in to the motel, they stepped into their room.

Jo immediately opened the curtains to let the natural sunlight into the dingy room.

Blair dropped her suitcase, walked over to the nearest bed and laid down, staring up at the ceiling. She then quietly began watching Jo begin to unpack her own suitcase and put stuff into drawers.

"Why are you doing that? I thought you just wanted to take a nap?" Blair questioned curiously.

Jo dropped one of her t-shirts. "Oh…force of habit," she said, chuckling nervously. "I didn't even realize I was doin' it. I'm just nervous, I guess. I need to figure out what to do."

Blair yawned, feeling drained and lethargic. "Well, when you do, wake me up," she said, turning on her side. _Sleep sounds good. At least when I sleep, I don't have to deal with the world. _She sighed depressedly.

Jo frowned. _Something's not right with her, _she thought. _She's not speaking…she's not doing __**anything**_. _She's not…herself. _It made Jo feel slightly uneasy.

"Just what the hell is _wrong_ with ya?" Jo demanded, slamming the closet door hard, which made Blair jump.

"Whatever do you mean?" She asked, puzzled.

"Why ya actin' like this?" Jo asked.

Blair's face grew red with anger. She rose out of bed, staring at Jo, aghast. "Acting like _what_? How the hell am I _supposed _to act? Excuse _me _for not knowing what to do when you blow somebody's _brains _out!"

The two women glared at each other intensely; neither one saying a single word to each other.

Jo broke the silence. "Well, for starters, ya could help me try and _figure _it out! I gotta figure out what to do and you could actually help me!"

Blair rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in resignation. "Well, Jo, let's see…I suggested to you that we should call the cops but _no_, you didn't like _that _idea so quite frankly, Jo, I'm _all _out of fucking ideas!"

"Well then, what's the big rush, Blair?! Maybe if we give 'em time, then they'll just come to us!" Jo exclaimed angrily.

She then took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. _Alright, Jo…you gotta calm the fuck down! Don't say anything you don't mean. You know it's not Blair's fault we're in this mess._

She began rubbing her temples. "Christ, Blair! I'm just not ready to go to jail yet!" She sighed. "Why don't ya just go to the pool or somethin' and I'll figure it out myself."

Blair set her jaw tightly.

"Fine. Give me the keys," she demanded.

Jo chuckled dryly. "I don't think so. Ya not touchin' that car," she replied.

"But the rest of my stuff is in there!" Blair protested. "Ugh! Honestly, you care more about that damn car than you do most people!" She groused.

Jo set her gaze towards the window, gazing away pensively at the sky. "Well, Blair, just seems like most people cause me trouble and that car always seems to get me out of it."


	9. Chapter 9: The Phone Call

_Chapter_ _Nine: The Phone Call_

"Rollins, about time you got here! What took you so long?"

It was 8am Saturday morning when Ted Rollins walked into the garage of the New York State Police Department in Albany, New York. Porscha McCoy, a member of the police's forensics team, was already there, waiting for him along with two other forensic investigators.

Rollins shrugged. "Didn't come home until nearly seven this morning, Porsch. It's a long drive from East Aurora to Albany. I didn't even have time to kiss my wife goodbye when she went off to work."

Porscha sighed dramatically. "Oh, the perils of being a police officer," she joked.

Rollins nodded, chuckling. "Don't I know it. So, you've been waiting for me, right? What have we got?"

Porscha cleared her throat. "Well, the vehicle the deceased was discovered on just came in about two hours ago. We had to get clearance from the owner and the major to dust it for prints. But it's here, ready for dusting. It's right over here."

She lead Rollins down the long garage until they reached the car, a small white Dodge.

"Here it is," Porscha announced, pointing it to him.

"Well, no time like the present. Let's get started," Rollins ordered his team.

Together, Rollins, Porscha, and the other forensic investigators began dusting the roof of the trunk that had Lee's DNA on it.

Rollins stared closely at the trunk of the car, holding his hands over two sets of prints. He then moved his hands to the outside of the prints so he wouldn't smear them and put his hands on the car.

He furrowed his eyebrows together in concentration as he brought his face exactly one inch away from the trunk.

_What's that there?_ He thought. He spotted a drop of blood on the car. _Looks very different from the blood splatter on the rest of the car._

"Hey, Porscha…come get a look at this," he said to her.

"What is it?" Porscha questioned, coming over to him.

"What's that?" Rollins asked, pointing at the spot of blood on the car.

Porscha pursed her lips. "I'm not sure but I would assume it's blood. Looks like blood to me."

"Well then whose?" Rollins asked.

"Maybe the victim's, I guess."

"You _guess_?"

Porscha didn't answer.

Rollins reached into his back pocket and took out a Sharpie. He drew a circle around the spot of blood and the black smudge that had been dusted.

_Something's off, _he thought as he stepped back and examined.

_I can't be sure but this car needs to be examined further. I have a hunch but I have to be sure._

* * *

Blair stepped out of the bathroom in a lavender bikini and made her way outside the motel's swimming pool. She sighed as she took a last look at Jo who was sitting by the phone near her bed.

_Guess she has a plan then, _Blair thought. She shrugged and continued on.

She sat in a lounge chair, slathered on sunscreen, grabbed her reflector and laid down to sunbathe.

_This is my vacation, this is my vacation, _she thought to herself. _If I keep thinking that, this whole thing won't be so bad. Don't think about what's actually going on._

She arranged herself in her lounge chair, desperately trying to make herself feel more like a vacationer and less like a fugitive.

* * *

Jo dialed her home phone number, silently praying her husband Rick would _finally_ answer the phone. Jo was still upset with him but she was desperate and she knew Rick was her only hope at getting any kind of help. She was _not _going to bring her family or her other friends or Blair's family into this situation.

She crossed her fingers, hoping he would pick up the phone.

"Hello?" A voice asked. It was Rick.

Jo put a hand over her mouth, already starting to feel choked up. _Thank God! _She thought.

"Rick?" Jo asked. "That you?"

"Jo? Honey…of course it's me! Are you OK? Where are you?"

"Yeah…it's me. I'm alright. Long time no _see_," she said dryly, trying to hit home how upset she had been with barely seeing him. "So…How ya been?" She asked awkwardly.

"I'm fine. Um…Jo, where _are_ you? You sound funny," Rick asked.

Jo caught a glimpse of herself in the room's mirror. She had scraggly-looking hair and bags under her eyes.

"I'm funny, alright. A _real _funny sight," she replied, more so to herself than to Rick.

"Are you in town, Jo? This call sounds long distance," Rick said.

"No, Rick. I'm out of town. But I'm in some real _deep shit_. I'm in Deep Shit, New York."

"Jo, you're really starting to freak me out! I get a call from my manager Ron that you called from home but when he calls you back, there's no answer! I called Beverly Ann, Tootie, _and _Natalie and none of _them _knows where you are, either! _Nobody_ knows where the _hell_ you are!"

He blew out a breath. "Is Blair there with you?" He asked. "Casey's been blowing a gasket saying he's gonna kill you both when you get back. He keeps calling here every half-hour. And he's been going _nuts. _And I don't envy her if she is with you."

Jo felt a twinge of guilt at worrying everyone back home.

_But it's for the best, _she thought, trying to reassure herself. _I can't go home and bring everyone into this mess. I just can't._

She started to feel herself start to get all choked up again. _This is all my fault! I even brought Blair into it!_

"Where _did _you guys go?" Rick asked, breaking Jo out of her thoughts.

"Fishin'," Jo lied. She figured it was time to cut to the chase and explain why she was really calling. "Look, Rick…I'm in trouble. I need ya to help me. This is serious. Can ya do that?"

"Uh…yeah…sure," Rick said, shocked at the deathly serious tone of his wife's voice. "Whatever you need, hon. Just tell me where you are."

Jo took a deep breath, willing herself not to start crying. She held the mouthpiece of the phone closer to her mouth. "Look, I have a savings account with seven grand in it. Now, I know ya won't be able to get it out but I _really_ _need _that money. Can ya wire me the money and I'll give it back. _Please_, Rick? I'm desperate."

"Jo, would you _please _tell me what the _fuck _is going on?!" Rick begged, alarmed.

_Why is she being so fucking evasive? _Rick wondered.

"Something bad has happened, Rick. Something pretty bad. I can't tell ya what but just know that it's bad and I did it and I can't undo it. That's all ya need to know. If ya ever speak to my folks, Blair's folks, Beverly Ann and the others, just tell 'em where we went and we're OK. We're _fine. _Got it?"

"But I don't know _where _you went!"

"Rick! Can ya help me? Yes or no!" Jo demanded.

"Yes! Yeah! I can help! Can I bring it to you? For heaven's sake, babe, can't you tell me what's happening? Is it so bad you can't tell me? What could it be that's so awful?"

Jo sighed._ He's not making this easy for me._ "I'm sorry, hon. Just answer me this…do ya love me?"

"Wait…what?"

"You heard me. It's a simple question, Rick."

"Of course I do."

Jo felt tears spring to her eyes when she heard it._ Tears of happiness or tears of disappointment? _She wasn't sure.

Rick just professed his love for Jo over the phone and she was questioning _how _she was feeling. _Should I feel happy?_

_No time to figure it out. I got enough on my plate._

"Wire it to me at the Western Union in Oklahoma City," she told him, nervously fiddling with her wedding ring.

"Wait…you're in _Oklahoma?!_" Rick asked in surprise.

"No. Not yet," Jo admitted.

"Jo, let me call you back after I wire it so you'll know what office to go to," Rick said.

Jo frowned. "Can't it go to any office?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No. For that much money, I have to tell them exactly _which _office. I know because I've had money wired to me on the road before. And there has to be a code word or else they won't give it to you. We _need_ a code word."

Jo sighed tiredly. "Alright. Give me a code word," she said. _This seems a bit much just to get some wired money but whatever. _She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Call me back," Rick replied.

Jo rolled her eyes again.. "OK. I'll call ya back. And remember…don't tell Casey or the others."

"I won't. I love you, Jo."

Jo hated mushiness. She made a face. "Sure, Rick," she replied. She quickly hung up the phone.

_So glad __**that's **__over! _She thought in relief. _Now it's time to get Blair so we can get outta here!_

She gathered all of her and Blair's belongings and brought them to her car.

She haphazardly tossed everything into the backseat and jumped into the front, turning on the ignition of the car and driving away. She spotted Blair sunbathing by the pool so she pulled over, honking her horn.

"Blair! C'mon! Let's go!" She shouted.

Blair jumped up from her lounge chair, turning to see Jo already in the car. She immediately grabbed her sundress and picked up her shoes, running out to meet Jo. She jumped over the passenger door, into the car.

"Did you finish thinking?" Blair asked curiously.

Jo shrugged, slipping on a pair of shades. "Meh. I think much better when I drive," she said as she peeled out of the parking lot.


	10. Chapter 10: Decisions

_Chapter Ten: Decisions_

"Tell me everything you know regarding this case, Rollins. What have you found out? Heard there were witnesses. Is that true?"

Rollins stood inside the office of his superior, Superintendent Garrett Blackner. Blackner sat at his desk, rubbing his hand across his freshly cut salt-and-pepper hair tiredly.

Rollins cleared his throat. "Well, sir, yes, it is true there were witnesses outside the bar. But that's all we have at the moment," he confirmed. "All we know is there were two women in a red GTO convertible that turned left out of the parking lot going pretty fast. We're trying to find a make on the car but we have nothing on _that _yet. So far, we've found nothing yet."

Blackner leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips thoughtfully.

"Well, Rollins, all I can tell you is that you've got to get moving and _find _something. Even if they didn't do it, it turns out they witnessed it. I want _somebody _to at least _talk _to them. Best to put out an APB and see what we get."

Rollins nodded dutifully. "Alright," he replied.

Blackner aligned his chair back to the seated position. "Is there any reason to believe these women may have left the state?" He asked.

"It's possible," he said.

"Then we should let the bureau in on this," Blackner replied.

Rollins nodded in agreement. "I have absolutely no problem with that, sir," he said.

* * *

"Alright…so…Jo, don't get mad but where _are we _going?" Blair asked Jo as they continued on the highway.

"We're on our way to Oklahoma City. Rick's gonna wire me some money and_" Jo informed her until Blair abruptly interrupted her.

"Wait, you spoke to Rick?!" She asked, shocked. "Is he pissed? Did you tell him?"

"No, Blair, I didn't. And that's somethin' we gotta get straight. Casey's been callin', mad as a wet hen, makin' all kinds of noise. When ya talk to him, Blair, ya cannot and I mean, _cannot _say _anythin' _about this. Ya gotta make sure everythin' sounds normal."

Blair scoffed. "I called the jerk at 4am this morning and he wasn't even home! I don't even know what he's got to be so mad about anyway! If anything, _I'm _the one who should!"

"I coulda told ya _that, _Blair," Jo remarked.

Blair looked thoughtful. "Tell me this…do you think Casey could be…you know…having an affair?" She asked.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't think Casey's mature enough to handle an affair," Jo said.

"But he _could _still fool around," Blair muttered, frowning.

Jo sighed loudly, wanting desperately to change the subject from Blair's scummy boyfriend. "Look, Blair, listen," she said. "I've made up my mind on this but I feel like ya should know; I'm goin' to Mexico," she announced. "Now, I'm pretty sure I can make it in two and a half days, if my calculations are correct. But I'm _really _gonna have to haul ass. Are ya gonna be up to this? I gotta know. This ain't a game. I'm in some deep shit and I have to know what ya gonna do."

_Could I really live a life in Mexico? _She thought. _What would happen to my money? Where would I live? How would I survive?_ _Would I have to start living like Jo…beyond my means? _Blair thought. She inwardly whimpered at the image of herself living in squalor.

"I…uh…I don't know, Jo. I don't know what you're asking me," she said, staring down at her feet.

Jo scowled. "Oh, no! Don't ya dare fall apart on me, Blair! Every time we get in trouble, ya either go blank or plead insanity or some shit! Not _this_ time, Blair! This is serious! Everythin' has changed now!"

Her tone softened a little. "Now, ya can do whatever ya wanna do. But one thing's for certain is _I'm _goin' to Mexico. I'm _goin'_, come hell or high water. Nobody's gonna stand in my way, either! So I gotta know…are ya gonna come with me? The choice is yours, Blair."

Blair didn't answer. She only gazed at her hands in her lap. _Could I really let Jo go all the way to Mexico by herself? After all, I'm the reason we're here in the first place. It was __**my **__gun that brought us here._

_Scratch that. Casey's gun. Casey is the __**real **__reason why we're here. If he treated me better, we __**never **__would've went on this vacation! Jo was only trying to do something nice for me._

Blair sighed loudly. "You know what? I think he does," she replied. "Fool around, I mean."

Jo only rolled her eyes in exasperation. _She's impossible! _She thought.


	11. Chapter 11: Blair's Call

_Chapter Eleven: Blair's Call_

Earlier that afternoon, Poppy Anne sat inside a small interrogation room of the New York State Police Department across from Rollins. She tapped her fingers nervously on the table as she watched Rollins along with a young black woman, sit across from her.

"Mind if I smoke?" Poppy Anne asked Rollins.

Rollins shrugged. "Not at all, P.A," he said. "Now, we need your help. This is Violet. She's a sketch artist from Tisch and a damn good one."

The two woman exchanged brief pleasantries.

"So…from your own memory, P.A, tell Violet here everything you know about the two women you met yesterday."

Poppy Anne reached into her purse and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. She lit it and put the cigarette between her lips, puffing.

"Well…" she began.

* * *

"Time for a pit stop, Blair," Jo announced, stopping the car in front of a small town country store. "Get out."

Blair stretched. "Where are we?" She asked.

"Search me. I just need to see if they have a phone. Ya need anything?"

Blair grimaced, looking at the old, ramshackle building. _It looks like it's being held up with toothpicks,_ she thought.

She then sighed, whimpering. _Swallow your pride, Blair. You've come this far. You even checked into a fleabag motel, for goodness sake!_

"Fine," she said. "Hopefully their food isn't as old as this building looks."

She stepped out of the car and closed the door.

The two women stepped inside. In front of them, was an old man with white hair, wearing an old flannel shirt.

'''Scuse me? Do ya happen to have a phone?" Jo asked him.

"Oh, it's outside, right 'round the back. Right near the restrooms, ma'am," he told her, pointing.

"Thanks," Jo said, giving the man a polite smile. She then turned to Blair. "Alright. See ya in a few, Blair. Just gonna make a phone call," Jo said to her.

Blair, who was deeply engrossed and fascinated in jars of pickled pigs' feet and rubber worms the store sold, waved absentmindedly to Jo.

Jo quickly ducked out of the store and ran to the back of the store.

She spotted the phone and reached into her jean pockets for change. She inserted the money into the phone and dialed her home phone number back.

_Please, Rick, pick up the phone, _she thought anxiously. She breathed a sigh of relief when he answered.

"Jo!" He exclaimed.

"Is _that _how ya answer the phone?" She asked.

"Sorry. I got it. I was afraid I'd missed you. I almost couldn't get a check cashed. It's Saturday, you know," Rick replied.

"Who did it?" Jo asked curiously.

"Uh, he's a friend of mine. Randy Webster. He owns a club here in town. I think you'd know him if you saw him. His sister Cindy went to your school, I think."

"Oh," Jo said, biting her lip. She remembered Cindy from her Eastland days but she didn't remember her brother.

"Oh…Ya didn't tell him what the check was for, did ya?" She asked him cautiously.

"No, I didn't," Rick replied. "I told him I was going to buy a car. But just what _is _it for?"

Jo smiled in relief. "Good," she said, choosing to ignore his last question. "That was good. Where do I go?" She then asked.

"Uh, it's a place called Charlie's Motel. The address is 1405 North East 24. It's under your name," he informed her.

"And what's the mysterious code word?" Jo asked.

"Peaches," Rick answered.

Jo wasn't sure she'd heard right. _"What?" s_he asked.

"That's the code word. I really miss you, Peaches," Rick said to her.

Jo made a face, rolling her eyes. _**Really?**_ She thought. _I guess it's __**sorta**__ romantic and sweet although I think I would've preferred 'Kawasaki' better._

"Uh, thanks, Rick," she said, quickly hanging up the phone.

_I can't believe there used to be a time when I actually __**wanted **__to hear from him and now I can't wait until I'm __**off **__the phone with him, _she thought, shaking her head.

* * *

Blair set the items she had finally settled on buying on the counter in front of the old man; beef jerky and some gum. While waiting for him to ring her up, she spotted some tiny bottles of Southern Comfort. She grabbed one and put it on the counter.

_Am I overdoing it with this stuff? _She pondered. She then scoffed. _Oh, what the hell! _Blair then grabbed the entire display and placed them on the counter along with a tiny bottle of Cuervo.

"Uh, ma'am…wouldn't you like to buy the economy size bottle?" He asked her, pointing to it on the shelf.

Blair glanced at it, shaking her head. The old man shrugged and continued ringing up her purchases.

After he was done and she paid him, she picked up her bag and walked outside. Jo was waiting for her, sitting on the hood of her car.

"Oh, good. Ya back," Jo replied. "Ya gonna call Casey."

"_Call him?_" Blair asked, grimacing.

"Yep. Call him. And don't tell him _anythin'. _Just tell him ya havin' a good time and ya gonna be home tomorrow night."

"But will I be?" Blair asked.

Jo shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. "I know I won't be."

Blair bit her lip, meeting eyes with Jo. _So if I agree to go back with Casey, this means I'll never see Jo again. Could I really, truly live with that?_

As Jo walked back inside the store to give Blair privacy, Blair made her way to the back of the store to use the phone. She inserted some change and dialed her house.

"Collect from Blair," she said. "Hello…honey?" She said tentatively as she heard Casey pick up the phone.

She could hear a football game on in the background.

"_Goddamnit_, Blair! Where in God's name are you?" Casey demanded angrily.

"I'm with Jo," she informed him nervously. "Um…we're in the mountains and uh…we're_"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Blair?" Casey asked, interrupting her. "Did you lose your damn mind? Is that it? I leave to go to work and you just take complete leave of your senses? I come home and there's no dinner, the place a damn mess…have you lost your goddamn _mind, _Blair?"

Blair bit her lip. "Now, Casey, _please_ don't get so mad! Please. I can explain," she began.

"Hold on, hold on a minute, dammit." he said, returning to the game. Blair didn't hear him and continued talking.

"We'll only be gone for one more night and then we'll be back tomorrow night," Blair said to him when he returned to the phone after his team fumbled the ball.

"_What?_ No, you won't, Blair! You bring your ass back here TONIGHT. Do you understand me?"

Blair suddenly felt tears well up in her eyes as she remembered Jo's words from Friday afternoon: _'Blair, is that man ya boyfriend or is he ya father?_'

"Casey," she replied, taking a deep breath and trying her best not to cry. "You're my boyfriend; not my father."

"That _does_ it, Blair! I_ knew_ Jo was a bad influence! If you're not back here tonight…then well…Blair, I just don't want to say."

Blair pursed her lips, not saying a word. Casey was also quiet. _So I guess that's it then, _Blair thought.

"Casey?" She asked in her sugary-sweet voice, wondering if he was still on the phone.

"What?" He asked.

_He's still there. Good._

"Go fucking turn blue," she hissed. She slammed the phone down for good measure.

She whirled around, making her way back to the car, tears clouding her vision. _I hate him. I hate him. I fucking hate him. I never want to see him again. How could he? After all I've __**done **__for him!_

As she stormed back to the car, she accidentally walked right into somebody and grunted loudly as she fell flat on her butt.

"Hey, watch where you're_" She began angrily.

She interrupted herself as she looked up and stared right into the most bluest eyes of the most handsome man she thought she had ever seen.


	12. Chapter 12: The Gentleman in Wranglers

_Chapter Twelve: The Gentleman in Wranglers _

"Excuse me, ma'am! Are you alright?" The blue-eyed man asked.

Blair only stared at the man, wide-eyes, her mouth open, agape.

She only nodded. She quickly wiped away the few tears from her eyes and blinked.

"Is there anything I can do for you, ma'am?" The man asked.

_Yeah but it's probably __**way**__ too inappropriate, _Blair thought, starting to blush profusely.

"Um, no thanks. Sorry," she said. She then began collecting herself and walked back to Jo's car.

She got in and sat down.

Immediately, she caught the man in the reflection of her side mirror as he came from the side of the store.

He was a young, tall, lanky, man with an athletic build, long, dark brown hair that hung in his face, cheeks were covered by a dark five-o'clock shadow and eyes as crystal blue as the sky. He had a rugged handsomeness Blair didn't think she'd ever seen before.

Blair couldn't help but watch as he took off his flannel shirt and stuffed it into his duffel bag, leaving him in just his t-shirt and Wranglers. Blair tugged at her collar.

_Oh, my. He's __**so **__hot._

She watched as he picked up his stuff and headed towards the road. Then he stopped for a few steps and glanced back at Blair in the car as if he were contemplating something.

He then made his way to the car.

"Excuse me, ma'am…would you mind me asking which way you and your friend are going? I'm trying to get to school and my ride never showed up. Are you going my way?" He asked.

"Uh…" Blair began, unsure of what to say. She bit her lip nervously. _Jo's gonna kill me,_ she thought.

"Uh…well…I think we're going to Oklahoma City," she told him. "But I'm really not sure."

The man looked at her hopefully. "Are you? Do you think you could maybe…I mean, I could chip in for gas."

_Jo's __**really **__going to kill me. _Blair gulped.

"Um…well…see…this isn't my car so it's not really up to me," Blair admitted sheepishly. "It belongs to my friend but she'll probably say no. She's pretty uptight."

The man looked a little crestfallen. "Oh," he said, clearing his throat. "Well, guess we shouldn't ask her then. Thank you anyway." He turned around and began to walk away.

Blair bit her lip again._ I guess it couldn't hurt to help him out. He seems pretty harmless, _she thought. _Plus, he's cute!_

"Well…I guess it _couldn't_ hurt to ask her," Blair replied.

_Jo's not just gonna kill me. She's gonna kick my ass first to make __**sure**__ I'm dead!_

At that moment, Jo returned from the store, stopping dead in her tracks at seeing Blair talking to some strange guy.

_I'm going to kill her,_ she thought as she stared at them with an expressionless look on her face.

Blair finally took notice of her when Jo got to the car. She gave her a sheepish look. "Jo, this gentleman is just on his way to school and he needs a ride and I thought_"

"It's probably not a good idea," Jo interrupted her curtly. _**Really**__, Blair? _Jo thought. _This is how we got into this mess in the first place!_

The man nodded his head politely. "You both have a good day then. Drive safe."

"Jo," Blair said embarrassingly. Blair then gave him an apologetic look as Jo started the ignition and began to back away.

Blair only continued pouting and crossing her arms. _He was so nice and Jo didn't want to give him a chance! Not every guy is a creep like Lee! We should've helped him!_

She turned to Jo. "See how polite he is?" She asked her.

Jo ignored her as she put her top down. She backed out of the parking lot and onto the road, passing the man as they went. Blair waved to him.

"Cheer up!" The man yelled out to her, waving back as they drove away. Blair only blushed.

She then turned around in her seat, giggling like a teenage schoolgirl.

Jo rolled her eyes. _Blair running into every Tom, Dick and Harry. Go figure. _

"I really wish we could've brought him with us," Blair said, sighing wistfully.

"Can we get back on track, _please_?" Jo begged. "What did Casey say when ya spoke to him?" She had hoped changing the subject would hopefully get Blair to forget all about the pretty boy they had encountered at the store.

Blair's face fell in distain at the mention of Casey's name. "Oh, he said 'Oh, hi, honey! I hope you're having a good time up there! You deserve one after putting up with me all this time! Tell Jo I said hello!'," she said sarcastically.

Jo only looked deep in thought, not responding. _Doesn't sound like it went well_, she thought, pursing her lips.

Blair scowled crossly. "So…how much longer until we reach goddamn Mexico?" She asked begrudgingly.

Jo gave her friend a knowing side glance and smirked. She didn't want to admit but she had hoped Blair would agree to come with her. _At least having her with me won't make my drive down there so lonely. I need the companionship…yeah…_


	13. Chapter 13: Find Another Way

_Chapter Thirteen: Find Another Way _

Rollins already had the fingerprints and likenesses from an ident-a-kit and he wanted; now he just needed names. Poppy Anne confirmed the likenesses matched her recollection of who she had seen that night at the Silver Crown.

Now Rollins just needed a name. He ran over the state's car registration list of every red Pontiac GTO in the state of New York on. He scrolled past dozens and dozens of names, staring blankly at his screen, even unknowingly going past Jo's name.

He yawned tiredly. _One of these names __**has **__to be the one, _he thought as he scrolled determinedly.

* * *

"You know, I don't see what harm it would've done to just give somebody a ride, Jo," Blair complained as the the two women continued their drive.

Jo groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance. _It's been twenty minutes of this shit. Can't she give it a rest? _ She thought, scowling.

"I mean, did you see his _butt?" _Blair gushed, barreling on. "Casey doesn't have a cute butt like that guy did. You could bounce quarters off that ass of his."

Jo grimaced. _Ew. _"Blair, look, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood for company right now. Ya wanna make yaself useful?" She reached upwards toward her sun visor and pulled out a map. "Here, take this map. I need ya to find all the secondary roads to Mexico to Oklahoma City. I think we need to stay off the interstates; we're too conspicuous."

_At least that'll get her mind off the pretty boy bonehead anyway._

Blair took the map, studying it closely. "Well, it looks like we can get on towards this road called road 81 that heads toward Dallas then cut on over to_"

"No," Jo interrupted abruptly. "I don't wanna go that way. Find somewhere else."

Blair was flummoxed. "Somewhere _else?_ What are you _talking _about?"

"Find a way where we don't have to go through Texas, Blair! I don't wanna go through Texas!"

Blair frowned in confusion. "So wait a minute…let me see if I have this right…so you want to go to Mexico from Oklahoma and you don't want to go through Texas? Is that right?"

"You know how I feel about Texas, Blair! We're _not _going that way!" Jo said adamantly.

"I _know_ that, Jo, but we're running for our lives here! You don't think we can make just a tiny, little, itty-bitty exception here just this once? I mean, look at this map! The _only _thing between Oklahoma and Mexico _is _Texas!"

Jo glared at Blair. "Blair, I'm not gonna talk about this! Either ya find another way or I'll stop this fuckin' car, take that map and do it myself! Ya understand?"

Blair pursed her lips crossly. "No, I _don't_ understand," she said. "How come you never said what happened?"

Jo ignored her, only scowling deeply and continuing to drive. Blair only gave her a puzzling look.

_She's acting __**really **__strange, _Blair thought, giving Jo a concerned look_. But I'll drop the subject. For now. _

Jo then sighed loudly and began talking, her voice almost straining. "I…just…I just don't think it's the place I wanna get caught doin' somethin'…like…if ya blow a guy's head off with his pants off. Believe me, Texas is the _last _place ya wanna get caught! Trust me! Now, I don't wanna talk about this anymore!"

_Hope she bought that, _Jo thought nervously.

Blair watched as Jo's eyes darted back and forth nervously and she gripped the steering wheel tightly, making her knuckles turn white.

_**Something **__happened to her and I'm determined to find out exactly __**what **__it is, _Blair thought. _I certainly hope she doesn't expect me to believe that nonsense!_

"Fine," Blair said, throwing her hands up in surrender. "We'll go around Texas to get to Mexico. This is nuts." She then sighed.

As they continued driving, Blair smiled. The same man she had met at the store had passed them on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He spotted them and waved as he went by. Blair blushed and waved back enthusiastically, smiling.

"That man is _too _cute for words," Blair muttered. "_So _good-looking."

_Exactly how many times do I have to hear about this bozo before I actually puke? _Jo thought crossly. She rolled her eyes. _Blair sure knows how to pick 'em_, she then thought sarcastically. _She honestly could do __**way **__better._

She grabbed a cassette tape from her sun visor and put it in her car cassette player, allowing Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" fill the car.

_Now __**that's **__better._


	14. Chapter 14: Confirmation

_Chapter Fourteen: Confirmation_

Rollins entered through the city of Peekskill in his beat-up silver Honda. As State Investigator of the State of New York, Rollins had been to every city, town and village in the state. He tried to remember the last time he had been to Peekskill. _For a city, it seems awfully quiet, _he thought as he drove through the streets.

He finally had a name to go with the indent-a-kit images along with a search warrant granted by Blackner. The computer database of Pontiac GTO owners had led him to the name and address of a Joanna Marie Bonner, a young woman who lived in Peekskill.

When he pulled up to her presumed residence, a small apartment complex, he found an elderly Hispanic woman sitting right outside the complex. He nodded politely to them as he knocked on the door.

"Hello, dear. Are you looking for somebody?" The old lady asked him.

Rollins turned to her, nodding. He then flashed her his badge

"Yes, ma'am. As a matter of fact, I am. Do you live here?"

The woman nodded.

Rollins showed her the two pictures. "Would you happen to recognize or know any of these two women?"

The woman peered closely at the two pictures, squinting. "Well, I _have _seen the brown-haired woman before. I see her when she goes into her car during the weekday mornings."

"So the brunette lives here, you say?" Rollins asked.

The woman nodded. "I believe so. I see her right from my bedroom window almost every morning going to her car, to work, I assume."

"And what about the other woman?"

The woman squinted again. "Well, I don't think she lives here but I _have_ seen her here from time to time. I don't know her name though."

Rollins nodded. "Well, thank you, ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your day," he said.

He opened the door with the key given to him by the landlord and stepped inside the foyer of the complex.

Rollins walked up three flights of stairs until he reached the apartment he was looking for: 317.

He inserted the key inside the door and stepped inside Rick and Jo's apartment. It was spotless inside and it was empty. He wandered inside every room in the apartment until he came to the living room.

The living room was a bit small but there were various photographs everywhere. A wedding photo of Jo and Rick and various photos of the couple with family and friends hung proudly on almost every inch of the wall.

Rollins stepped towards one that caught his eye of a much younger Jo in a maroon graduation cap and gown. She was hugging a young blonde girl in a matching graduation outfit.

Rollins stared at it and then glanced at the ident-a-kit photos.

_Well…I'll be damned. _

There was a match.

* * *

"Some day somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye!" Blair and Jo both sang loudly along to Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" at the tops of their lungs.

Blair grinned goofily as she then made bizarre, weird, movements with her hands and arms.

Jo followed suit with Blair's funny hand movements. The two women laughed hysterically, continuing to sing the rest of the song loudly and shrilly.

"Until then, baby, are you going to let them hold you down and make you cry? Don't you know? Don't you know things can change? Things'll go your way? If you hoooooooold on for one more dayyyyyyyy! Can you holdddddddd on for one more day? Things'll go your wayyyyyyyyyyyy…Hold on for one more dayyyyyy!"

Blair shut off the radio after the song had finished, wiping the tears from her eyes. "God, I _love _that song!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

"Me, too. Is that a new song?" Jo asked.

Blair nodded. "I think so. Tootie actually introduced me to Wilson Phillips' music about two or three weeks ago."

The mood suddenly changed drastically as soon as Blair had mentioned Tootie's name. Blair and Jo looked at each other.

"We're never going to see them again, aren't we?" Blair asked sadly.

Jo didn't answer. Blair then sighed. "Wow. This is really hitting home, isn't it, Jo?" She asked. "We're going to have completely different lives when we reach Mexico, huh?"

"Things will work out, Blair," Jo said, placing a reassuring hand on Blair's shoulder.

Blair only sighed. "I don't think I could _ever _go back to Peekskill, Jo," she admitted. "I mean, not after the way Casey treats me. I love Natalie and Tootie and my parents and Bailey but I can't see myself with Casey again, you know? I want _more _but I'm not even sure of _what_ I actually want _more _of. It's so _fucking_ confusing."

She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "Does that make any sense?" She asked.

Jo nodded. "It does," she agreed. She thought back to her own relationship with Rick. She knew for awhile, deep down, that she was now unhappy with him, but was unsure as how she wanted to let him know her true feelings. She wanted more in her relationship but she didn't think Rick could offer anything else she wanted.

"Speaking of wanting more, would you look at that!" Blair exclaimed, pointing.

Jo followed Blair's finger to the same man they had encountered before. He was standing by the side of the road with his thumb out, thumbing for a ride.

Blair then began whimpering like a dog, begging Jo to pull over and stop. She gave Jo her best puppy dog eyes, pleading with her eyes. Jo groaned.

She _really _didn't want that man in her car but she also knew she'd give into Blair's begging and pleading, especially when she was looking at her with _those _eyes.

_I hate it when she does that. Her eyes are too irresistible._

Jo then bit her lip nervously. _Shit. Did I __**really **__just think that? _

Before she knew what she was doing, she had stopped the car and the man had then hopped right into one of the back seats.

* * *

"So you work here, right?" Rollins asked Roger, the Center's intern.

Rollins had arrived to the Hudson Valley Community Center and found Roger the only employee working there.

Roger nodded proudly. "Yep. Been here 'bout a month and a half, sir."

Rollins then pulled out the photographs of Jo and Blair from his pocket. "Do these women look familiar to you?" he asked him.

Roger's eyes widened. "That's Jo and Miss Blair!" He exclaimed.

"You know them?"

"Yeah, sure do! Miss Blair _owns_ this building! Her dad is the richest man in town and she's heir to his money _and_ the most prettiest gal in Peekskill! And Jo…she's just plain ol' Jo. I work with her. She's a social worker here and just real hardworking and nice."

A middle-aged, plump woman with short, strawberry blonde hair, came into the building at that very moment. "Mr. Clark, sorry I'm late but my niece broke her wrist and_" she cut herself off as she stared at Rollins and Roger in the room.

"Oh. Roger, I see you have company. Who's this?"

"This is Ted Rollins, Mary Ellen. He's the State Investigator. He's looking for Jo and Miss Blair."

Mary Ellen's face went gray. "Oh, dear. Jo's not in any trouble, now is she?" She asked.

Rollins stood up and went to shake Mary Ellen's hand. "I take it you work here as well, ma'am?" He asked.

"Only part time. I'm the secretary here. Now what's going on with Jo? You're looking for her and her friend Blair?"

Rollins nodded. He held up the ident-a-kit photos. "So you can confirm these are the identities of the women in these photos?" He asked.

"Of course. Jo Bonner is one of my colleagues and that other woman is Blair Warner. Blair and Jo have been friends for a long time from what I've known about them."

"Can you tell me when the last time was either of you had seen or heard from them?" Rollins asked.

"I saw Jo on Friday afternoon. And she was on the phone, talking to Miss Blair about going on a trip someplace," Roger informed him.

Mary Ellen nodded. "Yes. I loaned Jo my vacation house for the weekend. I waited for her so I could give her the keys but she never showed up. I called her apartment and there was no answer. I hope they're not in any trouble."

She then frowned. "I should call Ms. Stickle and tell her what's going on. I'm sure she'll want to be informed of what's going on. Wait one minute."

And before Rollins knew what was happening, Mary Ellen was making a phone call.

"Here's the address of Beverly Ann Stickle, sir," she told him, handing him a slip of paper with her scrawl written on it. "Please go see her right away. She wants to chat with you…it's urgent."

Rollins took it. "Thank you, ma'am," he said.

"Why exactly are you looking for them for, anyway?" Roger asked.

Rollins shrugged. "Just questioning," he informed him. "Thank you for your time."

He then left the Center, finally now on his way to Beverly Ann Stickle's house.


	15. Chapter 15: Friends' Revelations

_Chapter Fifteen: Friends' Revelations_

Rollins rubbed his head tiredly as he rang the doorbell outside the residence of who he presumed to be of Beverly Ann Stickle.

The door instantly opened and Rollins found himself standing face to face with a young, blonde teenage boy with short, wavy hair.

"Oh, hi. I think my mom was expecting you…you're the cop guy, right?"

"Indeed I am. May I come in?"

The boy nodded. "Oh, absolutely. My mom will be down in a second. She was _shocked_ to hear that you were on your way to see her regarding Jo and Blair. I mean, I've heard of instances where they've been arrested before but I don't think we've _ever_ had an investigator come to see us because they were missing before."

Rollins only nodded again, baffled. "So…you know the two women in question?" He asked.

The boy nodded again. "Yes, sir. They're my friends and former colleagues. I used to work alongside them when my aunt Edna ran two stores here in Peekskill."

At that moment, a thin woman with gray hair came downstairs alongside three younger woman; a slightly plump young woman, a young black woman and a girl with bushy brown hair.

"Oh, you must be Ted Rollins, the investigator from upstate that Mary Ellen told me about. I'm Beverly Ann Stickle," she replied, holding out her hand. "You've already met my son, Andy; these are my friends, Tootie Ramsey and Natalie Green and my ward, Pippa McKenna."

After the pleasantries had been made, Beverly Ann offered Rollins a seat in a chair.

"So, sir, what can we do for you?" Beverly Ann asked.

Rollins cleared his throat. "So, I believe you all know the two women I have in these photographs?" He asked, holding them out.

Everyone's mouths dropped open as they gawped at the pictures. "We _do_ but we're a little confused as _why _you're looking for them, sir," Natalie replied.

"Well, sometime either real late Friday night or early midnight Saturday, a man by the name of Lee Kincaid was shot and killed outside of the Silver Crown in East Aurora. Witnesses outside the bar saw two women in a red Pontiac GTO convertible leave the scene."

He continued on. "We dusted the car the deceased had been discovered on for prints and through use of an ident-a-kit, witnesses _and_ a computer database of every red Pontiac GTO registered in the state, my department and I were able to track down your friends."

Beverly Ann, Andy, Pippa, Natalie and Tootie stared at each other in alarm and shock.

"So what does that _mean_ exactly? Are you looking for them because you think they _killed _him?" Tootie asked defensively , narrowing her eyes.

"No, ma'am, no such thing. We just want to question them, that's all," Rollins reassured her.

"Mary Ellen told me she lent Jo her cabin for the weekend and she and Blair never showed…why would that be?" Beverly Ann puzzled.

"Wouldn't have surprised me if they went away to cop a root or something," Pippa muttered. "I haven't known them _that_ long but I could sense the chemistry they had a _mile_ long."

Rollins looked confused. "Pardon?" He asked.

"Oh, Pippa here is originally from Australia. We don't have a clue _what_ that girl says half the time," Natalie informed him, rolling her eyes.

Andy cleared his throat, blushing. "Well… since Pippa and I have started dating, I can tell you that I've picked up on some of her Australian slang."

He then cleared his throat again, looking embarrassed. "Copping a root means _sex_," he blurted out. "Don't make me repeat it or ask me how or why I know, but that's what it means."

"Huh…and here I thought it meant stealing root vegetables. Boy, was I wrong," Natalie quipped.

Beverly Ann gave her son and Pippa both scathing looks. "We'll discuss, um…'copping roots' later. Right now, however, the more pressing matter are the whereabouts of Blair and Jo."

She tapped her finger on her chin, squinting, deep in thought. "As a matter of fact, Rick called me some time yesterday and told me they were fine," she remembered.

Rollins tilted his head in interest. "This Rick…who would he be?" He asked.

"Um…he's Jo's husband. He's a musician that tours all over the world with his music. He called here looking for her. Saying something about how Jo had called his manager but when he tried to call her back, she never returned his call. I think Rick said his manager had one of those newfangled caller ID devices and that's how he knew Jo had called from home or something…"

Everyone rolled their eyes as Beverly Ann continued to ramble. "But I haven't seen Jo or Blair in _days_. Then…maybe about an hour so or more, Rick called back, telling me she and Blair were fine and they had only gone fishing and not to worry."

Natalie and Tootie both nodded. "Yeah, Rick called everybody to reassure us Blair and Jo were OK; that he had spoken to Jo," Tootie piped up. "And that was pretty much the last time any of us had spoken to Rick."

She then looked thoughtful. "You know, when those two left and practically _ditched_ us, I'll admit, I was a little pissed off they didn't invite any of us with them. I mean, we've all been friends since practically forever! Then I was glad."

"How so?" Rollins asked curiously.

"Well…if you knew _those _two, they used to butt heads _all_ the damn time. Almost immediately after they first met, they _hated_ each other. Tootie and I always used to wonder when they would just admit they had feelings for each other and get it over with," Natalie admitted.

Tootie, Pippa, Beverly Ann and Andy all nodded their agreement.

"Yeah. I think even a _blind_ man could see their chemistry," Andy replied. "Their relationship has always been weird to me."

"When Rick told us they left on a fishing trip together, I was actually secretly hoping they'd finally do us all a favor and hook the hell up. What Jo is doing, married to Rick and what Blair is doing, dating that loser Casey, I'll never know. Hopefully they're doing what Pippa said…rooting or whatever, fake heterosexual relationships be damned," Natalie said, chuckling wryly.

"But if Jo and Blair supposedly hooked up, how did this bloke end up getting carked and what do _they_ have to do with it?" Pippa mused. "I obviously haven't known them as long as everyone else, but I can't imagine them trying to physically harm anybody."

Andy sat next to his girlfriend on the couch. "Pippa's right…_that _doesn't make sense," he said.

"You obviously know what 'cark' means, too, huh, loverboy?" Natalie asked, teasing.

"Yeah…it means 'die'," he said, giving Natalie an annoyed look but he started blushing again.

Rollins rose from the chair he was seated in. He had all the information he needed. Except for a few _small _things.

"I'd like to know about the boyfriend of your friend, Blair. Casey, is it? Who is he?"

"Casey Clark, Blair's pathetic excuse for a man. He's also the director of the Center where Jo works," Tootie informed him. "Blair owns that place but from how he treats Blair, you'd think _he_ calls the shots. He treats Blair like shit and he's a horrible person!"

"Is there a way I can find him?" Rollins questioned.

"The scumbag lives in _Blair's_ mansion on the other side of town," Natalie disclosed. "The more upscale side of Peekskill."

"I'll need his address. I'd like to ask him a few questions…since it's obvious we can't find Mrs. Bonner's husband at the moment. I just need to ask Mr. Clark a few questions."

Beverly Ann handed him a slip of paper with Blair's address and home number on it.

He then rose from his seat and nodded at everyone. "Ladies and…gentleman, it was nice to meet you all. Thank you for your time." He then left the house.

"Do you think we need to call Blair and Jo's parents and let them know what just transpired?" Tootie asked after Rollins had left.

Natalie gave her a look. "Uh…hello! A state investigator wants to question Blair and Jo about a guy they may have seen get killed in the parking lot of a bar in upstate New York…what do_ you _think?"

"Something's not adding up, though," Andy replied. "If Jo and Blair just went on a fishing trip, why was that man here, questioning _us_ about them regarding some guy's death if _other_ witnesses said they saw their car leave? Rick never mentioned _anything_ to us about a man getting killed when he called."

Everyone sat in silence.

"It's quite possible he doesn't even know," Pippa hypothesized. "What if they never told him?" She then asked.

Tootie rose up from her seat. "There's _no_ way in hell Jo or Blair have anything to do with this! I don't wanna hear it! There's no _fucking_ way! They're our best friends!"

"No one's saying they did," Andy said.

"Well, hopefully they didn't. I can't see either of them doing harm to anybody," Beverly Ann replied.

"I wish one or both of them would pick up the _phone_ at least! Doesn't it seem strange Jo would have Rick tell _us _she and Blair are OK?" Tootie questioned.

"I think we can all concur that _something _weird is going on. In the meantime, none of us have any definite, concrete proof that Jo or Blair are guilty of anything other than just going on a vacation. Let's just wait and see what happens first," Natalie pointed out.

Everyone nodded their agreement.

"Now…there's _one_ thing I'd like to discuss after we call the Warners and the Polniaczeks," Beverly Ann requested, turning to Andy and Pippa. "Has there been any copping of roots in my house?!"


	16. Chapter 16: Cody Weston

Chapter_ Sixteen: Cody Weston_

"So tell us, Cody, what are you in school for?" Blair asked the handsome, blue-eyed man she and Jo had picked up nearly thirty minutes ago.

Cody Weston leaned back against the seats in the backseat, watching Blair divid up the beef jerky in her bag. She then passed out the portions amongst herself, Jo and Cody.

Blair then took a quick swig from her tiny bottle of Southern Comfort and then handed it to Cody, who graciously accepted it. Blair then laid back, her back against the car door and her bare feet in Jo's lap as Jo continued to drive, not even batting an eyelash.

Cody took a swig from the bottle before he responded. "Human nature," he answered. "I'm majoring in behavioral science."

Blair nodded, glancing at Jo for her approval. Jo only shrugged. So far, she thought Cody was OK but wasn't quite ready to start being buddy-buddy with him.

"And so whaddya wanna be when ya grow up?" Jo asked him curiously.

Cody gave Jo a coy, boyish grin. He then wiggled his eyebrows. "A waiter," he answered, making both Blair and Jo burst out laughing.

Blair grinned, happy to see Jo had _finally _seemed like she was lightening up and liking Cody.

_I knew she'd eventually see things my way, _she thought, smirking to herself.

* * *

Rollins walked up the path of the address given to him by Beverly Anne of Blair's residence. He rang the doorbell.

Rollins stared, shocked at Casey Clark's appearance. He was disheveled and drunk, wearing only boxers and a beat-up Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned. In his hand, he held a beer can.

"Uh…are you Casey Clark, sir?" Rollins asked, grimacing at Casey as he looked him up and down.

Casey then belched. "Yeah, I am. Who wants to know? Who the hell are you?" He demanded, wiping his mouth with his shirtsleeve.

Rollins took out his badge. "I'm Ted Rollins, State Investigator for the State of New York. May I come inside?"

Casey blinked dazedly. "Uh…yeah…c'mon in." He then invited Rollins inside. Rollins' face almost turned up at the smell and sight of the house: It smelled of body odor and there were takeout food containers and fast food wrappers everywhere.

Nearby, the TV blared with a sports game on. "Sorry my place is a mess…usually my lady cleans up or the housekeeper does."

"By 'your lady', are you referring to Blair Warner, your girlfriend?" Rollins asked.

"Yeah…that'd be her. What? She and that friend of hers get into some stupid shit or something?"

He then chuckled to himself, taking a long swig of beer.

He looked up to see Rollins wasn't laughing or joking. "Wait…you're fucking serious, aren't you? What the _fuck_ is going on here? See…I _knew _Jo was a fucking _bad _influence on her! What kind of shit did Blair and Jo get into?"

"Well…Mr. Clark, it seems like your girlfriend and her friend were witnesses to a murder."

Casey's mouth flew open. "Wait…_what?!_" He asked, shocked. "No fucking _way!"_

"Yes, sir. Some time late Friday night or early Saturday morning, a man was shot and witnesses say they saw your girlfriend and her friend leave. We're not saying they did anything but it appears they _were _there the night of the murder and we just want to talk to them."

Casey frowned, blowing out a breath of air. "Shit, man. This is all fucking _mind-blowing_ to me," he said, plopping into an armchair. "I mean, I go to work, come back and find out Blair's not here. She leaves me some goddamn note then calls me to tell me she and Jo were out doing whatever shit woman these days fucking do and she'd be back tomorrow! She never told me _shit_ about witnessing a fucking murder!"

Rollins quirked an eyebrow quizzically. "Wait…you mean to tell me your girlfriend _never _mentioned anything at all to you about witnessing a man get shot?"

"No! All she told me was that she and Jo were in the mountains and she'd be coming home tomorrow!"

"Did she sound distraught or worried at all?"

Casey snorted out a sarcastic laugh. "If you call her cussing me out, telling me, in her words, to 'fucking turn blue', then yeah, I'd say she was pretty fucking distraught!"

He then rose up from his armchair and began pacing up and down the room. "See, I _knew _something was fishy when I went into the bedroom drawer and noticed my goddamn _gun_ was missing! I bought that gun so Blair would've at _least_ had some kind of damn protection when I'm not here but she never even touched that shit let alone even _looked _at it!"

"Now, Mr. Clark…tell me this…you said your girlfriend told you she and her friend were in the mountains…did you already know they were going?"

"No, not at all. When I left here that morning, Blair fixed me coffee and she looked pretty normal and shit to me. She never said anything to me about a trip. When I got back, the house was a mess with shit piled _everywhere_, a note and some trash food she left for me in the microwave. She took stuff like she was going away for _months; _not for a vacation. Not to mention, my gun is gone."

Rollins bit his lip, pondering. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but everything he had heard so far had alarm bells ringing in his head.

_What if…_Rollins thought.

"Wouldn't have surprised me if they killed him purposely. He probably propositioned them and got _way _more than he bargained for," Casey replied, chuckling darkly.

Casey then shook his head. "I can't believe this shit. I can't _believe_ it." He sighed deeply as he buried his head in his hands. _This shit had better not be traced back to me. I have a license on that damn gun! I need a damn drink to calm my nerves! _He thought. He then looked up at Rollins. "You want a beer?" He offered. "I need a damn beer."

* * *

"So…do any of y'all have any kids?" Cody asked Blair and Jo curiously.

Both women shook their heads.

"How come?" Cody asked.

"Well…first off, I'm not married yet," Blair informed him. "Casey…he's my…well…_ex-boyfriend_, I guess…anyway, he said he's not ready for kids or marriage. He's still too much of a child himself. He prides himself on being infantile."

"Yeah…he's got a _lot _to be proud of," Jo remarked dryly, rolling her eyes.

Blair giggled, playfully nudging Jo's arm. Jo then giggled as well.

"Jo and Casey don't get along," Blair informed Cody.

"_That's_ puttin' it mildly there," Jo replied.

"Yeah…she thinks he's a a pig," Blair piped up.

"He's a real piece of work, though. I wish ya could meet him," Jo said to Cody.

"Did you ever think about getting married and…I dunno…settling down?" Cody questioned Blair.

Blair only shrugged. "I had actually _hoped_ he would propose but now I'm actually glad we didn't wind up getting married. I don't believe he was ever actually serious about wanting to marry me anyway. But I'm over it now. I realize now that I'm Blair _fucking_ Warner and I deserve _way _better." Blair then gave a confident, sexy smirk, flipping her hair.

Jo couldn't help but smile at Blair's statement. She then felt her heart skip a beat. _Yeah, Blair, ya do. _

"Well, if you don't mind me saying so, it sounds like this man is a complete asshole," Cody remarked. His blunt remark caused both Jo and Blair to burst out laughing.

After the two woman had stopped laughing, Blair turned to face Cody, giggling. "Nah, it's OK," she said. "You're right; he _is _an asshole. Most of the time, I just let it slide." She then took a quick swig of Southern Comfort, passing the bottle to Jo.

Cody then began looking down the road, almost immediately spotting a car in the distance. _Oh, shit!_ He panicked internally.

He then leaned towards Jo's shoulder and whispered into her ear. "Better slow down, Miss Jo," he informed her. "That there's a cop."

Jo followed Cody's gaze and saw a highway patrol car coming right the road towards them. She only nodded and quietly veered off the road towards a path with trees and shrubs to block them from being seen.

She then glided along as the cop car passed them on the other side without even seeing them. Blair, Jo and Cody all let out deep sighs of relief it felt like they had all been holding in for ages.

Jo then continued on down the road as if nothing had happened. The three were safe and had not been spotted by the cop.

"Maybe you got a few too many parking tickets?" Cody wisecracked, trying to break the ice.

Jo only gave him a stern glance from her rearview mirror. She quickly gulped down the last of the Southern Comfort and tucked the empty bottle under her seat. "We're gonna take ya on to Oklahoma City," she told him gruffly. "Then ya'd best be on ya way."

"Wise guy," she then muttered under her breath.


	17. Chapter 17: Rick the Unwilling Accessory

_Chapter Seventeen: Rick the Unwilling Accessory_

Rollins was still at Blair's house. Other police officers roamed the house as Casey sat on in a daze, watching.

Rollins walked over to the phone.

"Who're you calling?" Casey asked curiously as he watched Rollins dial.

"FBI," Rollins informed him nonchalantly.

Casey's jaw dropped. "_Christ_," he muttered.

"Hey, McNeal, this is Ted Rollins from New York State. Just calling to inform you of some information on the Kincaid case. I'm at Blair Warner's house in Peekskill with her boyfriend."

"What have ya got?" Bradley McNeal, a balding man, asked.

"Well, the prints on the trunk of that car Lee Kincaid was discovered upon…they match those of Blair Warner."

McNeal glanced at the ident-a-kit drawings of Jo and Blair from his office. McNeal had worked as an FBI agent for fifteen years, had been through hundreds of different cases but had _never _seen one quite like this. He knew of David Warner and his textile company. He couldn't understand how his daughter, his only child and heir of his fortune, could wind up getting herself involved in something like _this. _

_I thought it'd be the __**other **__way around, with the woman getting axed. _

He continued staring at the drawings of Blair and Jo. They were both attractive, pretty, young women and McNeal was having a bit of trouble associating them with harming anybody let alone _killing _them.

"I'll be damned," he replied. "Isn't that strange."

"The boyfriend who lives here says a gun is missing," Rollins told him. "Plus she took a lot of stuff. Seems like maybe she planned on being gone a while. We found a safe here and had to pry it open – found her credit cards inside of it so maybe she planned on using cash so she wouldn't leave a paper trail."

Rollins cleared his throat. "That's not even the strangest thing – the boyfriend said she would never touch that gun of his. He got it because he works a lot and is hardly home but he said she'd never touch it or even learn to shoot it; just left it in the drawer for _years_."

"What kind of gun was it?" McNeal questioned.

"It was a .38," Rollins told him.

"So where are they?" McNeal asked.

"We're still looking. A co-worker of Mrs. Bonner informed me they were on their way to a cabin she loaned to Mrs. Bonner and she and Ms. Warner never showed up. Plus, I also visited several friends of theirs who confirm they knew nothing of this trip but mentioned Mrs. Bonner's husband may not have been truthful with them about their actual whereabouts."

"Huh…now _that's_ interesting…do you think _he _might be involved?"

Rollins bit his lip. "I'm not quite sure, honestly, but who knows? We're going to continue looking for Ms. Warner and Mrs. Bonner – we hope you're looking, too."

* * *

It was dusk when Jo, Blair and Cody pulled into the parking lot of Charlie's Motel. Jo shut off the ignition, turning to look at Cody.

"So, we're here," she said. She took the keys out of the ignition. "Ya both had better say ya goodbyes."

_And out of our lives._

And with that, Jo stepped out of the car. "I gotta go in there for a minute," she said, closing her car door.

She quickly ducked inside the building, spotting a woman sitting in a small office at a computer.

"May I help you?" The woman asked, smacking loudly on a piece of gum.

"Yeah…I need to pick something up. It's under 'Joanna Marie Bonner'. Is it here?" Jo asked.

The woman typed into her computer. "Nope. Nothin' here under that name, ma'am," she told her.

Jo frowned, instantly feeling herself start to panic. _I __**know **__Rick said it was here. Why would__

She then briefly noticed Blair crawl into the backseat of the car with Cody out of the corner of her eye. Jo instantly felt herself become annoyed. Before she could think about them any longer, the woman coughed, bringing Jo's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Um…OK…is anythin' under 'Peaches'?" She asked. "Check that."

The woman tapped 'Peaches' into the keyboard. "No, ma'am. Nothin' under that, either."

Just as Jo started to completely panic, she heard a familiar voice from behind her put on a game show announcer's voice.

"Did somebody say 'Peaches'?! Why yes, that's the secret word! Show her what's she's won, Don!"

Jo whirled around to find herself to face to face with her husband. He then dropped a fat envelope in her hands, smiling smugly at her. Her jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh, my _God_! Rick! What are ya doin' here?" She asked. She had expected Rick would only drop the money off, not show up to meet her in person!

"Hey there, Peaches," he replied, giving her a dazzling smile. He then kissed her cheek and turned to the woman at the desk. "Can you give us another room? Just put it on my credit card."

The woman handed him a key. "They're right 'round the back," she informed them.

"So…how are you, Jo?" Rick asked awkwardly as he and Jo made their way to the car outside the motel. "How was the fishing trip? How's Blair?"

Jo then opened the car door to find Blair and Cody both in the backseat together, cuddling, taking pictures with the Polaroid camera and Blair giggling.

Jo felt a pang of jealousy as she got an eyeful of them cuddling. She scowled. "Ask Blair," she said annoyingly.

Blair suddenly became startled as she noticed Rick and Jo were staring at them. She screamed in embarrassment and began quickly trying to duck back into the front seat, trying to look nonchalant.

Jo only rolled her eyes.

"Rick! Hey there, stranger! What on Earth are _you_ doing here?" Blair asked, blushing hard.

Rick gave Blair an amused look. "Ask me no questions, Blair, and I'll tell you no lies."

Blair nodded. "Yeah…that actually goes double for me."

Cody then struggled his way out of the backseat of the car, looking uncomfortable at being caught in the backseat with Blair.

"Who's your friend here?" Rick asked, smirking. _Never would've thought I'd see the day Blair Warner would be caught fooling around in the backseat of a car with a guy, _Rick thought.

Blair cleared her throat. "Oh…uh…this is Cody," she introduced. "He's a student. We were just giving him a ride to…to…_here_, I guess. Jo said we would bring him here and that he'd have to go. So that's what he's doing…he's going. Aren't you, Cody?"

Cody nodded. "Yup, I'm going. Thanks for the ride. You all take care," he said. He then turned to go.

Blair then stared at him as he departed. "Yeah, he's going alright," she muttered to herself. "And I _love _watching him go."

"Blair's kinda taken to him," Jo said to Rick, trying her best to hide the bitterness and jealousy in her voice.

Rick only grinned, shaking his head in amusement at Blair.

"Well, come on, girls! Blair, I got you a room. You can take a cold shower," he joked. He hopped into the backseat of the car.

Blair blushed again. "Eh, don't mind me, Rick. I'm just a wild woman," she replied, chuckling nervously.

Rick chuckled. "Somehow, I always knew that," he said.

"Yeah…just a regular outlaw," she added.

Jo shot Blair a look as the three of them drove to the back of the motel. Blair turned around, spotting Cody standing at the side of the road. He noticed her looking and blew her a kiss.

The three found their rooms and began to climb out of the car, Jo shutting off the ignition.

"Just let me go in and freshen up a bit," Jo said to Rick. "I gotta go and wash my face and…stuff."

Blair began taking her and Jo's stuff out of the car.

Jo inwardly groaned. She was so caught up in picking up the money, she had forgotten that Rick would probably want to talk, spend time with her and do _other _things that Jo, quite frankly, wasn't interested in doing.

_Maybe he'll just want to talk_, she thought hopefully.

_Ha! _She then thought. _Fat chance._

"Sure, honey. Whatever you need to do. I'm not trying to rush you or anything. But I _do _want to talk to you and…" Rick then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Be _alone _with you. I'll just be in my room at 117 and when you're ready, come on over."

Jo then gave Rick a fake, flirtatious smile, shuddering inwardly.

He then helped Blair bring her belongings into the room, stopping at the door. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Jo.

"I'll be waiting," he drawled slowly.

Jo only gave Rick a quizzical stare. _Why's he actin' like this? _Rick only grinned and walked away.

Blair gave Jo a teasing smile. "You know, I don't care what you say about him, Jo, but that man has got it _bad _for you," she remarked.

Jo rolled her eyes. "He's always got it bad as long as _I'm _runnin' in the other direction. Don't be fooled, Blair. He's no different than any other guy. He knows how to chase and that's _it_. Once he's caught ya, he doesn't know what to do so what does he do? He runs away."

Blair nodded. "I heard _that_," she said in agreement.

The two stepped into Blair's motel room, Jo closing the door behind them.

Blair tiredly lay across the bed and Jo took the envelope containing the money out of her purse. She held it up, showing it to Blair.

"Our future," she told her. She then began rummaging around into her purse, looking for her makeup. She then pulled out a tube of lip gloss and mascara and stood close to the mirror in the room, applying her makeup while Blair watched her from her bed.

"So…what are you going to tell Rick?" Blair asked Jo curiously.

"Nothin'. I'm not gonna tell Rick a damn _thing_," Jo said. "I can't go and make him an accessory than he already is. I just _can't_."

"Aw, Jo, look at you being so sweet to him! Imagine not wanting to drag him into this. Rick really is a lucky man," Blair said sarcastically.

Jo slid a shade of light red gloss across her lips.

"Well, I never asked him to come! It's just like I said, Blair – he loves the chase."

"Well, he sure has his work cut out for him, doesn't he?" Blair teased, smiling.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Oh, put a lid on it, Blair! It's hard enough as it is. Just let me get this part over with. _You_ just guard the money. If there's any problem, I'm in 117."

"I won't wait up," Blair said.

Jo rolled her eyes again and then smiled at Blair. "Now…tell me… how do I look?"

Blair smiled back at Jo, laying back on the bed. She then propped herself on her forearms to get a better look.

"You're a vision, Jo. A goddamn vision of loveliness is what you are – you always are."

She then winked at Jo, giving her a flirtatious smile.

Jo froze, not exactly knowing how to handle that compliment. She only felt that familiar feeling of her heart skipping a beat.

She gulped, feeling her palms sweat. She then felt herself wanting nothing more than to run across the room, wrap Blair in her arms and kiss her like no tomorrow.

Blair cleared her throat, interrupting Jo from her lust-filled thoughts.

"Rick is waiting," Blair teased, nudging towards the door. Jo had almost forgotten she was supposed to be meeting Rick.

Jo gave Blair a mock-annoyed look.

"Have another drink, Blair," she told her before closing the door behind her.

Blair only shrugged and nodded. "Good idea," she said to herself.

* * *

It was raining when Jo stepped outside of Blair's room. She quickly ran down the long strip of motel rooms to find Rick's room.

She didn't have to walk far, spotting his room almost immediately. She knocked on his door.

"Hello?" She could hear Rick ask in a falsetto voice.

Jo inwardly shuddered. She had forgotten how just plain weird and downright _corny _Rick was.

The next thing she knew, Rick had opened the door of his room, holding out a solitary red rose, yanking her inside.


	18. Chapter 18: Jo's Surprise

_Chapter Eighteen: Jo's Surprise _

Blair stepped out of the motel bathroom wearing her silk nightgown, fluffy bathrobe and her wet hair wrapped in a towel. She had just finished showering and washing her hair.

She made herself a drink out of Coke and Southern Comfort and sat on the bed, ready to blow dry, brush and set her hair for the night.

Since Cody had left and Jo was alone with Rick, Blair had found herself lonely in her room. _At least there's some alcohol, _she thought moodily, sipping her concoction.

Just as she took off her robe and removed the towel from her damp hair, she heard a knock at the door.

_Now who could __**that **__be? _

Her first thought was Jo. _Maybe she and Rick had some kind of disagreement and she wants to be here with me_, she thought, somewhat hopefully.

"Jo?" She called out.

She quickly pushed that thought away. _Nah. And why would I actually __**want **__her and Rick to fight? _

There was another knock at the door.

"Jo? Is that you?" Blair called out again.

"It's me, Blair. Cody," Blair could hear Cody respond through the door.

Blair's eyes widened in surprise. _Cody?_

Blair instantly ran to the door and opened it, shocked and surprised to see Cody Weston, standing soaking wet in her doorway, with the rain falling down like crazy behind him.

Cody gave Blair a crooked smile. "Yeah…I know I'm supposed to be gone, Blair, but…" he trailed off, looking off down the road. He suddenly blushed, looking bashful and shy.

"I wasn't having much luck out there finding a ride," he told her. He then looked quickly past her, noticing Jo wasn't in the room with her. Blair only stood in the doorway, staring at Cody.

"Well…guess I'd better get going…" he said, feigning moving away from the doorway.

Blair frowned, not wanting Cody to go. She felt lonely. Plus, she felt bad that Cody was already wet and would get even _more _wet if he had to continue waiting for a ride.

"Wait! Where are you going?" She called out.

Cody turned to look at Blair with hopeful eyes.

"I don't know," he answered. "Why? What are _you _doing?"

Blair shrugged. "Nothing," she answered, smiling shyly. "Just took a shower."

Cody sighed. "That sounds nice," he said. _I know I could sure as hell use one._

"You want to take a shower?" Blair asked.

Cody pretended to hem and haw some more.

"A shower _does _sound mighty nice. Could I…where's Jo?"

"Oh…she went off with Rick. That guy you saw earlier was her husband."

Cody blinked in surprise. _**That **__guy? _He thought. _I didn't take Jo for a lady who was __**actually **__into guys. _

Cody then stared at Blair, remembering how she had been in the car when Jo and Blair picked him up. He noticed how Jo looked when Blair had placed her feet in Jo's lap and how…_blissfully_ comfortable she looked and downright _moony_.

He wanted to burst out laughing. _Jo has the hots for Blair but Blair's got it bad for __**me**__! _He was confused how he noticed almost right off the bat, only knowing them for a little while and Blair didn't notice and she obviously knew Jo a lot longer.

He kept a straight face as he looked at Blair. "Well, that seems pretty lonely, Blair," he said. "I always think of motel rooms as lonely."

Blair only shrugged. "Yeah…I guess so," she said. "C'mon in. I can fix you some coffee. There's a little coffee maker here. I haven't tried any of it myself but it's here if you want some."

She widened the door for Cody and let him in, beaming happily and nearly swooning.

* * *

Rick poured himself and Jo two glasses of champagne that he had brought with him. He sat next to Jo as close as he could, his arm around her.

The two sat on Rick's bed inside the motel room in silence, sipping their champagne quietly.

"So tell me, my little coconut…what seems to be the trouble here?" Rick asked, breaking the awkward silence. "I want you to tell Daddy _everything._"

Jo only cringed. "Well, Rick, first off, _don't_ give me anymore fruit nicknames. Second, my daddy's still alive and it gives me the creeps when ya do that shit."

Rick's face fell. "_OK. _Just tell me what's wrong then," he said tersely.

Jo only stared at him for a minute. "Rick," she finally said. "I'm not gonna tell ya what's wrong. Someday soon, ya gonna understand why I can't but I'm _not_ gonna tell ya why so don't even ask me."

Rick's eyes widened at hearing his wife's serious tone yet again. _I don't understand why she's being this way, _he thought frustratedly. _There she goes again being evasive._

"Um…OK, Peaches, _fine_…but can I ask you _one _thing?" He asked, gripping his champagne glass.

"Maybe," Jo answered. She took a sip of champagne.

"Does it have to do with another guy? Are you in love with him?" He asked.

Jo nearly sprayed her mouthful of champagne across the room at her husband's question. Out of all the questions Rick could've asked, he _had _to ask her _that_?

"Uh…uh…" she spluttered. "Uh…_no_," she lied, her mind instantly on Blair. "It's nothing like that," she then said, gulping nervously.

Rick seemed satisfied with that response. However, his face grew red with anger. "Then _what?!_" He fumed, rising up from the bed. "_What_, Jo?! Where the _fuck _are you going?! Are you leaving for fucking _ever?! _I mean, did you kill somebody or some shit?"

Jo's jaw nearly dropped at Rick's last sentence. _If only he knew,_ she thought.

Jo kept her poker face on, pretending to be angry at Rick's sudden outburst.

"Rick, cut it out! Cut it out right _now _or I'm gonna leave! I'm not kiddin'!" She demanded, gritting her teeth.

Rick took a deep breath, calming down. "Alright, alright. I'm calm. I'm sorry."

"Good."

Rick tapped his fingers against the bed, glancing at Jo as she only stared at him, waiting to see what he was going to do next.

"Well…can I ask you one _other _thing?" He asked.

_If it's anything like the first question, do I really wanna answer? _Jo thought.

"Uh…_maybe,"_ she replied tentatively, raising an eyebrow cautiously.

Rick reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. He then opened it, pulling out a tiny diamond ring.

"Uh…Rick…you _already _proposed, remember?" Jo said, raising both eyebrows in shock and surprise.

"Yeah…I _know _that but I was kinda hoping we'd try to renew our vows and try harder to make this marriage work. What do you say?"

Jo took the ring, flabbergasted. She gaped at it. It was a small, shiny diamond ring.

"Aren't you going to see how it fits? Try it on," Rick said.

Jo stared at the shiny ring a second time. _It's gorgeous, _she thought. _But I can't accept this. _She then looked up at Rick with tears in her eyes.

"Rick, it's _beautiful_ but_"

"Betcha didn't see _that _coming, huh?" Rick interrupted, smiling proudly.

Jo only continued to look at Rick, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.


	19. Chapter 19: Bombshells

_Chapter Nineteen: Bombshells_

Blair sat on the bed of her motel room, sipping yet another one of her Coke and Southern Comfort concoctions. She tilted her head as she eyed a shirtless Cody standing in front of the mirror in only his jeans.

_I_ _truly am a lucky girl_, she thought as she eyed Cody up and down.

Cody noticed Blair looking at him and smirked. "Whatcha starin' at, girl?" Cody drawled.

Blair only crossed her legs and took another sip of her drink, giggling. "How did you get to be so damn _hot_?" She blurted out.

Cody only chuckled. He walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "Well…sugar…that's a secret I'll never tell," he whispered, tapping her nose.

Blair pouted. "Aww…you're a meanie." She then fell back on the bed.

Cody grinned, laying next to her. _She's drunk_, he thought. _Lemme see if I can mess with her a bit._

"You're pretty hot stuff yourself, Blair," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. "I bet you could get any guy…or even _girl_ you wanted."

He expected Blair to yell or deny or even curse him out. However, she didn't. Instead, she only nodded her agreement. "The only girl I ever wanted married a man"_, _Blair said aloud sadly, thinking of Jo. She took another sip of booze. _I said that out loud, didn't I?_ She thought. _Damn it._

Her mind went back to what she'd told Jo earlier. Blair _had _been a little drunk but she knew what she'd said when she called Jo a vision of loveliness and she meant it. She had secretly hoped Jo had noticed and was disappointed she hadn't.

'_Have another drink, Blair'…_ Is how Jo responded that made Blair's heart sink.

_She ran off to be with Rick. I'm actually glad Cody came over when he did because I probably would've drank myself into oblivion. _

Cody's eyebrows shot up. "So…you're…" He trailed off.

Blair only shrugged and took a long sip of her drink, tilting her head towards Cody.

"Since it's already out in the open…what the hell…I've never told _anybody _this…_but_ I'm into both guys _and _girls. I've just never exclusively dated a girl I absolutely _wanted _to date before and the one girl I _was _interested in is already taken – by a guy."

Cody nodded. "Jo, huh?" He asked, gazing at Blair knowingly.

Blair only blushed, confirming Cody's suspicions.

"Aw, looks you got a crush! Ain't that sweet!" Cody exclaimed, making Blair blush even more. He chuckled. "Well, Blair, don't you worry about a thing. Your secret is safe with me. Now tell me this – how do you feel about _me?"_

Blair pondered Cody's question. He wasn't a jerk like Casey or Lee and he wasn't tied down like Jo was.

"I like you, Cody. A _lot_, actually," Blair admitted, giving him a mega-watt smile.

Cody beamed, brushing more of Blair's hair out of her face. "Good, because I can treat you right, Blair Warner. Better than anyone else _ever_ will. Trust me."

* * *

Jo continuing gawping at the shiny, beautiful ring she'd placed on her finger.

_Is this some kind of cruel joke bein' played on me or somethin'? There better be some Candid Camera video on or some shit, _Jo thought.

Rick nervously rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants, staring at Jo. "So…what do you think?" He asked. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. I mean…I could go and get a job. A job of some kind. I mean, you've been telling me that for years, right?" He then chuckled nervously.

Jo gave Rick a skeptical look. "Why now, Rick?" She wondered, sighing.

Rick's face fell at his wife's question. "Well, Jo…I just don't wanna lose you," he admitted. "And I get the feeling you're about to split. For good."

_If only he knew how true that was. _

Jo only stared at Rick, her mouth agape, not knowing how to respond.

"Rick, we've gone _all_ these years…we've _never _made it work," she finally said. "We're not gonna be able to just…I mean…_what _kind of job, Rick? Can ya see it? I _can't_."

Rick pursed his lips in thought. "Look, Jo, it's _me_, OK? _I'm_ the one. I never made it work. I _do _love you. It's just that I never thought I'd be where I am now – making my dreams come true in a career I love and I also never thought…I don't know what I thought. What do you want me to do, Jo? What do you want?"

_What do I __**really **__want? Not you. _Jo thought snarkily.

Jo bit her lip. She then sighed. "I don't know," she said frustratedly. "It doesn't even fuckin' matter anymore. I just want ya to be happy. You're a good man, Rick, ya really are, but you're a _terrible_ husband. Your timing was just really _bad_."

Rick looked crushed. _Is this really happening to me?_ He thought in disbelief. _What is going on here?_

The two only stared at each other in silence.

"Are you doing this to punish me, Jo?" Rick asked finally. "Please say you are."

Jo sighed, feeling her heart sink a little at hurting Rick but she knew it had to be done. "Believe me, Rick, the last thing I wanna do right now is punish ya," Jo said, giving him a sad smile.


	20. Chapter 20: Outlaw

_Chapter Twenty: Outlaw _

Rick sat on his side of the bed, completely mystified as he watched Jo mindlessly fidget on her side of the bed.

_Honestly, what the hell is going **on** here?_ He wondered. He thought back to the phone call he had gotten from her and everything he'd done for her and gone through only for her to tell him she wanted nothing more to do with him.

He had lied to her family and friends for her, given her a large sum of money he had no idea was for, traveled a great distance to surprise her and not to mention, postponed a few of his gigs to be able to see her and she was acting like none of it mattered.

He expected that kind of selfish behavior from Blair maybe but he was surprised to see it from Jo.

Jo quickly got up from the bed. "I'm just gonna go check on Blair," she said to Rick. "Ya know…make sure she's OK and all." She then gave him a small wave, chuckling awkwardly.

"Yeah…sure…fine," Rick said to her coldly, rolling his eyes. "Sure. Go ahead and interrupt the _princess's _beauty sleep."

Jo cut her eyes at him, instantly wanting to retort back at him for the insult he made about Blair but thought better of it. Instead, she left the room and walked down towards Blair's room, relieved to finally leave Rick.

She had finally arrived at Blair's door and just as she raised her fist to knock at the door, she heard muffled voices; one female and one male. She then heard laughter coming from Blair and the unmistakable sound of a bed squeaking.

Jo put a hand over her mouth in shock. _That __**can't **__be what I think it is, is it? _She thought in disbelief. She felt like she'd swallowed a huge brick. _I __**saw**__ Cody leave. Who else would Blair have in her room? _

Jo immediately felt tears spring to her eyes. _I can't believe I'm standing here, crying over somebody who never even wanted me to begin with. Who am I compared to fuckin' Cody Weston?_

Jo turned around dejectedly, walking back to her room with Rick.

* * *

Blair laughed and clapped her hands with delight as she watched Cody jump up and down on her bed with a towel tied around his neck like a cape.

"Why, it's faster than a speeding GTO, able to leap tall blonde babes in a _single_ bound…"

Cody then leapt from the bed onto the floor at his feet, standing proudly in front of Blair. He then grabbed her hands and brought her into a standing position and wrapped his arms around her waist. Blair wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hands through his hair.

"Thank ya, thank ya very much,"Cody said, deepening his voice, doing his best Elvis impression.

Blair cracked up laughing. _He really is the greatest man alive, _she thought happily. Out of all the men she ever dated, Blair couldn't think of _one _who made her laugh like Cody could. However, there was something about him that gave Blair pause.

Cody then began sniffing Blair's neck like a dog, causing her to giggle.

"Cody, stop, stop!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

She tried to catch her breath. "Now…who are you?" She asked him. There was something she felt she needed to know about Cody. She realized then that as much as she liked him, she knew very little about him.

Cody continued sniffing Blair's neck. "Why, I am the Great and Powerful Oz!" He deadpanned.

"Cody! _C'mon_, tell me," Blair persisted, pouting. "I _know _you're not some schoolboy. Nobody ever tells me shit. Tell me."

She sat back down on the bed, waiting for a response from Cody.

Cody's eyes widened in surprise. "What makes you think that I'm not a schoolboy?" He asked, sitting next to her on the bed.

Blair gave him a look. "Oh, _please_, Cody. You've got that 'runaway' look all over you."

"Well, Blair, to be perfectly honest with you, I'm just a guy. A guy whose parole officer is probably throwing a hissy fit right about now."

Blair gasped in surprise. _Parole?_ She thought in shock. Out of all the things she had been waiting for him to tell her, she never expected _that._

"Wait, _what?!_" She asked, her eyes widening. "Parole officer? You mean…you're a _criminal?_"

Cody only shrugged. "Well, truthfully, I _was _but not anymore. Except for busting parole, Blair, I haven't done _one _wrong thing."

"Well, what did you do?" Blair asked curiously.

"I'm a robber," he told her.

Blair's mouth flew open. "A _bank robber?_" She questioned.

"Nah, I've never robbed no fucking bank," he said.

"Well, what, then?"

"Well…let's see…I robbed a gas station once. And I've robbed a few liquor stores and some convenience stores. That's about it."

The more Cody divulged about his crooked past, the more intrigued Blair became. She'd _never _met a real-life robber before. He was different from all the men she'd ever met _ever._

"_How?" _Blair found herself asking him.

"Well, I was down on my luck and it just seemed like something I was good at so i_" Cody began.

Blair shook her head, cutting him off. "No, I mean _how _would you do it? Rob something, I mean. Do you just sneak in really fast or hide out until the store closes? Like _how_?"

"Well, sugar, _that _would be burglary. Burglary is for wusses. I've never been arrested for _that_. If you're gonna _rob _somebody, you have to go right up to 'em and just _do _it. Just take their money. Now _that's _robbery. Whole different ball game."

Blair's eyes lit up with excitement. "Tell me," she said eagerly, laying on the bed on her stomach and propping her head with her hand.

Cody couldn't believe he was telling somebody, let alone a prissy girl like Blair Warner, how to rob a store. _Am I in the Twlilght Zone? _He wondered.

"Well…first you gotta pick your place, obviously. Then I'd just sit back and watch it for awhile. You really gotta wait for _just _the right moment. That's something you have to know instinctively – that _can't _be taught. Then I'd just mosey on in and say…"

Cody made his thumb and pointer finger into a make-believe gun.

"'Now, alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's see who's gonna win a prize for keepin' their cool. Simon says everybody lie down on the floor. If nobody loses their head, then nobody loses their head. You sir…will you do the honors of emptying that cash into a paper bag and you'll have an _amazing_ story to tell all your friends. Unless you want a tag on your toe. You decide.' Then I'd take the dough and split. Easy peasy."

"Well, gosh, you sure are gentlemanly when you do it," Blair remarked in awe.

Cody gave Blair a boyish grin, brushing his hand across Blair's cheek lightly. "Well, in my opinion, if done right, armed robbery doesn't _have _to be a _totally_ unpleasant experience," he said.

"Wow…you're a real-life outlaw!" Blair said, her mouth hanging open.

"Well, I may _be _the outlaw but you're the one who just stole my heart," Cody proclaimed.

Blair let out a giggle. "You're smooth, boy, so _smooth_," she said.

"Don't I know it, babe," Cody remarked, crashing his lips upon Blair's in a deep kiss.

* * *

Rick had given up trying to communicate to Jo. When he saw her come back to their room, he noticed how pitiful and dejected she looked and he wondered if Blair had something to do with it. However, Jo stubbornly refused to admit to him that anything was wrong. So he gave up and went to bed.

When Jo was sure he was asleep, she went to get herself ready for bed. She put on one of her raggy old nightshirts and walked over to her purse. She pulled out one of the bottles of Southern Comfort Blair had given her. She sat down in a chair and glumly stared out the window.

_What did I do to deserve __**this**__? _She thought, tears spilling from her eyes. _Stuck with a man I don't love, in love with a woman who doesn't and __**never**__ wanted me and to top it off, we're both fleeing from the fuckin' law!_

She took a drink from the bottle, gulping down as much of the whiskey as she could.

_If I get drunk enough, I can stop myself from getting so emotional about everything. Emotions suck._


	21. Chapter 21: Separation

_Chapter Twenty-One: Separation_

Blair, are you alright, honey?" Cody asked Blair several minutes after he had kissed her.

Blair had been lying down on the bed with Cody sitting on top of her, his hands expertly running through her hair.

Blair didn't respond. _Am I?_ She wondered. _I like Cody. So what's wrong with me? I __**finally**__ got the chance to be alone with him. So what's the problem?_

All of her past relationships with all the men she'd dated, ending with Casey, flew through her mind. Then she thought about Lee. She already knew how _that _one turned out. She liked Cody a lot. He was funny, cute, badass and just plain _hot_. He was different from every guy Blair had ever dated. She then remembered in her state of inebriation that it was truly _Jo_ she'd wanted. _Jo's with Rick anyways so it doesn't even matter._

Suddenly, the realization suddenly hit Blair like a ton of bricks. _I __**like **__Cody but I'm not really in __**love **__with him. It's infatuation. And infatuation is a dangerous thing. I've fucked up. What am __**doing? **_Blair stared at Cody, suddenly finding herself wanting _Jo _in her arms and not him.

"I…uh…uh…" she then tried to answer. She then sighed. "I dunno, Cody. I'm just not really in the mood anymore. Can we just go to sleep now?"

Cody only stared at Blair, stunned. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh…sure…whatever you wanna do," he replied. He got up off of her.

_She'll probably want me to leave,_ he thought. He took a quick glance at the window. It was still raining outside.

Blair gave Cody a sympathetic look as she noticed him glance at the window. "No. You don't have to leave, Cody. I'm not so cruel, I'm going to make you go out in the rain."

Cody shrugged. "Lemme guess…you were thinking about Jo, huh?"

Blair only half-nodded. "I'm sorry," she replied honestly.

Cody only shrugged. "I guess it was a bit of an honor to be your _almost _lover but I can see who truly has your heart." _It would've been a bigger honor to get into those panties of hers but I've got bigger plans that __**don't **__involve fucking._

Blair nodded. "Thanks for understanding," she said.

"So your offer still stands? I can stay?"

"Yeah…sure," Blair replied sleepily. "Maybe we can be friends even. We might see each other down in Mexico."

She then placed her head down comfortably, snuggling deep into her pillow. She closed her eyes, immediately drifting off to sleep.

Cody, on the other hand, only stared at Blair thoughtfully. _What does she mean 'Mexico'? _He thought in bewilderment.

* * *

The next morning, Rick rose from his sleep to find his bed completely empty. He then glanced around the room and saw that Jo was nowhere to be found. He sighed. _I've lost her,_ he thought grimly, shaking his head.

He then turned his attention towards the other side of the bed and noticed a piece of paper with Jo's handwriting scrawled on it. He quickly picked it up and read it:

_Rick – _

_Meet me at the motel restaurant. Need to talk more. _

_Jo_

Rick pursed his lips in thought. He was disappointed his night didn't go the way he had expected. _What more could she possibly want to talk about?_ He thought. _Something's __**definitely **__up._

He got up out of bed to shave and take a shower and pack his suitcase for the trip back to Peekskill. He had no intention of spending a long time with Jo in the restaurant so he called a cab and asked to be picked up in half an hour. He then quickly got dressed to find the restaurant.

The restaurant was attached next door to the motel. It was a small restaurant bustling with waitresses and customers. He spotted Jo at one of the booths alone, drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette. _I haven't seen Jo smoke before, _he thought in shock. _Something __**really**__ must be going on. _

He walked over to her. "Morning," he said to her brusquely.

"Good morning," she said tersely. She then motioned for him to sit across from her. "Have a seat," she said to him.

Rick sat. "So…when did you start smoking?" He asked curiously.

Jo put her cigarette out in an ashtray in the middle of the table. "I smoked when I became a Young Diablo," she informed him. "I only quit when I started going to Eastland. But I've had a lot on my mind lately."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "And I bet you won't even tell me," he said, laughing bitterly.

Jo groaned in annoyance. "Lay off me, will ya?" She snapped. "I _don't_ need your shit this morning, alright? I don't. I've got a fuckin' hangover and I hardly slept a wink!"

She then sighed as she noticed Rick's hurt face. "I'm sorry, OK? Sorry," she apologized.

Rick sighed. "Jo, it doesn't have to be like this. I'll say I never found you. I'll do whatever the fuck you want me to do. We'll find a way out of this, whatever it is," he begged.

Jo chuckled wryly. "Wow, Rick. Did ya take some kind of pill that makes ya say all the right stuff?" She asked.

"I'm choking on it," he replied, chuckling, hoping to ease the tense mood.

Rick and Jo sat in silence for a minute, fidgeting.

"Well, uh…do you want me to come with you?" Rick asked hopefully.

However, Rick could already tell, just from the hesitant look in her eyes that him going with her was out of the question.

"Oh…wow…it's probably not such a good idea," Jo told him, giving him a sad smile. "Maybe I'll see ya later at some point…down the road."

She then patted his hand softly and then placed something in his hand. He looked at it and then back at her in shock.

She had placed her wedding ring and the other ring he had tried to give to her in his palm.

"Wait…what…Jo…_you_ keep this!" He said, stunned.

Before Jo could respond, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a cab pull up out front.

"Looks like your taxi's here," she told him.

Rick then reached out and gave Jo a hug. "Are you happy, Jo?" He asked in a small voice. "I want you to be happy."

_And just like that, my wife and I are separated and I don't even know why, _Rick thought, shaking his head.

Jo frowned, feeling bad that she was cause of Rick's sadness. _But I'm not happy with him, _she thought. _I have to find my __**own**__ happiness._

"I'm happy, Rick," she told him honestly. "Happy as I can be."

Rick sighed, picking up his suitcase. "Then I guess that's all that matters. Take care of yourself. Give Blair my regards."

"I will," Jo replied softly. "Good-bye, Rick."

Rick only nodded, turning around to leave the restaurant. Jo watched as he put his suitcase into the trunk of the car and then went into the car.

_And out of my life_, she thought sadly. Even though Jo knew she was no longer in love with Rick and knew she would probably never see him again once she got to Mexico, she also knew a small part of her would miss him.


	22. Chapter 22: Do Anything for Love

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Do Anything for Love_

Blair rose out of bed that morning. She stretched and yawned, gazing around the room for any sight of Cody. She heard the distant sound of water running from the bathroom.

She got up and knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Cody? You wanna go and get something to eat?" Blair asked through the door.

"Nah. You go on without me. I'm not quite done showering and all. I'll catch up with you later, scout's honor."

Blair's face fell a little, disappointed. "Well, OK," she replied. "Hope to see you then."

She then quickly got herself dressed and made up and left her room. She then went to room 117 to find Rick and Jo, hoping they'd want to join her for breakfast.

She knocked on their door. No answer. She knocked a few more times but there was still no response.

She spotted Jo's car not far away so she knew Jo didn't leave the motel. A few feet in front of her was a small restaurant attached to the motel so she left the front door of Rick and Jo's room and made her way to the restaurant.

Walking inside, she spotted Jo sitting by herself with a cold cup of coffee.

"Hey, Jo," Blair said to her cheerily.

Jo raised her eyebrows as she got a first glimpse of Blair that morning. Her clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, her blonde hair almost unkempt and she seemed…

_She looks like she got laid,_ She thought in sheer disgust and disappointment.

"Hi, Blair. Ya seem rather…uh…_chipper_ this morning. What happened to your hair? Normally ya so dolled up," Jo pointed out, trying to hide the disdain and disgust in her voice.

"_This_? Eh…I dunno…guess I didn't feel like doing my hair. The unkempt look is in anyways."

She then sighed blissfully, staring off into space.

"Are ya OK? Ya look like ya crazy or on drugs or both," Jo said, giving Blair a funny look.

"I _do_? _Really_?"

"Yeah. Ya do? What's wrong with ya? Does _Cody _have anything to do with it?"

Blair shrugged, trying her best to act nonchalant. But she had a small smirk creeping at the end of her lips.

"Oh, _screw_ it!" Blair exclaimed. "OK, so Cody came over last night. We didn't exactly _go all the way_ but he's still _such_ a gentleman. He's sweet and thoughtful and kind and a good kisser and…he's amazing! We're not actually _together _but…he's just so…_wonderful_!"

Jo's eyes widened as she listened to Blair gush on about Cody, feeling relieved he hadn't actually slept with Blair but still jealous and bitter they had kissed. Her face suddenly fell at _that_ admittance.

"Jo…are you even _listening_ to me?" Blair asked.

"Sorry, Blair. I was. I mean…I _am _listenin' to ya," Jo told her, giving Blair a fake smile. "So…where's Cody now?" She wondered.

"Oh, he's in my room, taking a shower," Blair informed her, smiling.

Jo's smile faded from her face, a feeling of dread running through her body, her palms starting to sweat with panic. She finally noticed that Blair had come to the table empty handed.

"Blair…did ya leave that man _alone_ in ya room?" Jo asked in a small voice.

"Uh…" Blair stammered, not quite sure what Jo was inferring.

"The _money_, Blair, the money?! Where's the money?" Jo exclaimed in a panic.

Blair's face of sheer confoundedness was all Jo needed to know that Blair had forgotten the money.

Jo got up from the table and rushed outside to get to Blair's room.

"Jo, it's _fine_! It's on the bed table!" Blair yelled, running behind her. _Cody wouldn't do such a thing! He wouldn't! He cares about me! Jo's wrong!_ Blair thought as she ran after Jo.

"Jo, it's on the nightstand!" Blair continued to reassure Jo as the two women ran as fast as they could to the room.

Jo burst her way through the door, immediately rummaging through the night table where'd she last left the money. The envelope and the money were gone. Rick had left and all her life savings were down the drain. Jo was penniless yet again.

Jo felt as though someone had reached in and pulled her heart out. All her efforts had been wasted. _This can't be happening. This __**can't**__ be happening,_ she thought. She ran her hands through her hair in despair, sliding onto the floor in a fetal position.

The room was empty and all of Blair's belongings had been ransacked. Cody was nowhere to be found. Blair only stared on in disbelief.

"_Goddamnit!_ That son of a bitch _burgled _me! I don't _believe_ it! I _have never_ been lucky! Not _one _time!" Blair exclaimed in disbelief. She sighed and shook her head, hurt and betrayed. _I can __**never **__just find __**somebody**__ I can trust. Never. How could he __**do **__such a thing?_

"I don't _believe_ it," she said angrily to herself, putting her hands on her hips. She then turned to look at Jo, her eyes widening in complete and udder sadness. Blair had seen Jo upset before but _never _quite the way she was at that very moment. Jo had her face buried in her knees and her arms wrapped around them, not making a sound.

Blair's heart broke. She suddenly was at a loss for words. _This is all my fault. Why did I have to have him in our car? Why did I have to let him in my room? Why was I so __**nice**__ to him? _

Blair gulped, her tongue suddenly sticking to the roof of her mouth.

"Jo? Are you OK?" Blair asked tentatively, kneeling down next to her.

Jo shook her head no.

Blair felt her heart sink even lower. "Jo…I'm _really_ sorry. I mean it," she said softly.

Jo didn't answer or move.

Blair didn't know what else to say that would make the situation any better. "Jo, it's OK," she soothed. "It's OK."

_She doesn't get it! Of course she doesn't get it! Blair's __**never **__wanted for anything in her life; even when she doesn't have money now! _Jo thought angrily. _Doesn't she understand it's __**over**__ for us?!_

Jo's head rose up, her green eyes widening and her mouth agape. "No, Blair…it's not OK. It's not OK. It's definitely _not _OK," she said, fighting back tears. "I mean…_none _of this shit is OK."

She threw her hands up in resignation and shrugged. "I mean…What are we gonna do for _money_, Blair, huh? What about gas? _What_? Trade on our _good looks?_"

Jo then laughed bitterly, tears running down her face. "I mean…_goddamnit_, Blair! It's not _OK_!" She dropped her head back into her lap, weeping hopelessly, the tears wetting her jeans.

As Blair watched Jo, an idea crossed her mind. An idea so _crazy_, she couldn't believe it.

_Jo's not going to go along with what I'm planning to do but I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it up to her, _Blair thought determinedly. She never wanted to see Jo in that state again. _Cody may have been a betraying, backstabbing son of a bitch, but he may be useful for __**something**__._

"Jo, c'mon. Stand up," Blair said to her sternly. "Don't you worry about it, OK? You hear me?"

Jo didn't respond. She only looked up at Blair, her eyes red and her face blotchy. _What's she gonna do? Rob a bank? _Jo thought sarcastically.

But Blair refused to continue to watch Jo wallow any longer. "C'mon! Get your stuff! Let's get out of here!" Blair then began grabbing all of her belongings, stuffing everything into a suitcase.

Jo sat still as a stone, watching Blair.

Blair groaned at Jo's stubbornness. "Move!" She ordered sternly.

When Jo didn't budge, Blair grabbed ahold of Jo's hands and pulled her up off the floor. "C'mon," she said. "Jesus Christ, Jo," Blair complained as she dragged Jo outside the room. "Take your damn time, will you?" Blair groused.

* * *

"You want anything?" Blair asked Jo thirty minutes later as Blair parked the car outside a convenience store. Jo had found herself too distraught to drive so Blair had ended up driving. Which suited Blair fine.

Jo turned her head morosely at Blair, shaking her head. "How much money do we have left?" She asked curiously.

"About eighty-eight dollars," Blair told her.

_Eighty-eight ain't gonna make a **dent, **_Jo thought depressedly.

Blair tucked the gun she had hidden behind her back in the waist of her jeans, out of Jo's viewpoint. She then touched up her lipstick.

"Well, I'll be back! This won't take long!" She then handed Jo her lipstick and quickly slid out of the car, running into the store.

After Blair had left, Jo rose from her seat to apply the lipstick Blair had handed her.

_What am I doin'? I look like shit __**and **I'mmiserable_. She then took out a cigarette, lit it and started puffing away to help ease her stress.

The more she thought about her financial problems and the rut she was in, the more depressed it made her. She tossed her unfinished cigarette out of the car along with the lipstick and buried her face in her hands.

Suddenly, she could hear Blair yelling, breaking her out of her miserable thoughts.

"_DRIVE! Drive,_ Jo, drive the car!" Blair shrieked, running as fast as she could in her high-heeled shoes. She jumped into the car.

Without questioning, Jo obeyed. She started the ignition and slammed on the gas, speeding out of the parking lot.

"Go! Go, go, go!" Blair yelled breathlessly.

"What happened?!" Jo asked in alarm, her heart racing.

What Jo was _not _prepared to see were wads of bills in a paper bag Blair held up proudly.

Jo's mouth dropped and her eyes bugged out. _Did she just __**do **__what I __**think **__she did? Blair Warner __**robbed **__a store?_

"Ya robbed a _store_?" Jo asked in disbelief. "Ya just robbed a goddamn _store?_"

Blair let out an excited, triumphant shriek. Jo looked on, completely stunned. "_You?!_"

"It's not like I _killed_ anybody, for crying out loud," Blair said. "We needed the money!"

Jo gave Blair a look. "Oh, _shit_, Blair! Ya done a lot of crazy shit in ya life but _this _is the craziest! I can't _believe _ya just did that!"

"Well, I'm sorry but we needed the money and now we have it," Blair replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

_She's lost her mind. She's gone completely insane. Blair Warner has completely lost it. We're already on the run for __**murder**__. Now it's also fuckin' armed robbery!_

"Shit, shit, _shit!" _Jo exclaimed in a panic.

"Jo, get a damn _grip._ Drive us to goddamn Mexico, will you?" Blair demanded, rolling her eyes.

_How can she just be __**OK**__ with this? She just robbed a store and she's acting like it's no big deal,_ Jo wondered in complete shock.

Jo realized she was suddenly seeing a side to Blair she didn't know she had and she knew she'd only be lying to herself if she didn't find it _hot as hell. _She wondered what other facets there were Blair was hiding.

_I'm **so** fucking badass. I can't** believe** I just did that! **Me!** _Blair thought, the adrenaline rushing through her. _I could do that again!_

"How…why…" Jo spluttered, at a loss for words. "I mean…what'd ya _say_?"

Blair only shrugged. "Well, it was pretty easy," she boasted. "I just moseyed on in and I…"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here today," Rollins informed Casey, Beverly Ann, Natalie, Tootie, Andy, Pippa and Blair and Jo's parents.

"You're probably all wondering why I called you all here."

Everyone sat around a round table inside an office building of the New York State Police Department. They all nodded unanimously.

"Well, we have a tape recording that was sent to us exactly three hours ago of Ms. Blair Warner in Oklahoma and I _don't_ think you're going to like it," he told everybody.

"Is she alright?" Monica Warner, Blair's mother, asked concernedly.

"She's unharmed, ma'am. But the contents of _what_ she's _doing _are of concern."

"Then show us the damn tape!" David Warner, Blair's father, demanded impatiently.

Rollins nodded. He inserted the tape inside a VCR and hit the play button. Everyone's eyes stayed glued to the screen as they watched Blair, wearing red high heels, tight denim jeans, a red tank top, denim jean jacket and sunglasses, walk confidently into the store. To everyone's surprise and shock, she suddenly then pulled out a gun out of the back of her jeans.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," she greeted the clerk and customers politely. "This is a robbery. Now, let's see who's gonna win a prize for keeping their cool. Everybody lie down on the floor, please. Right away. Thank you."

The customers all whimpered in fear as Blair brandished her weapon at them. They all immediately did as they were told, lying down on the floor.

Blair turned her attention on the store clerk. "_You_," She ordered, pointing her gun at him. "Put all the money in a paper bag! If you don't, you'll have a tag on your toe. You decide."

The clerk obeyed. "Yes, ma'am," he said obediently.

"Don't anybody play hero. Just lie down and get _real_ comfortable." She spotted some bottles of Southern Comfort near the register. "Throw in some bottles of Comfort in there, too, will you?" She told the man.

"Yes, ma'am," the clerk said nervously. The customers all continued whimpering.

The clerk stuffed every single bill he had in the register and dumped all the Southern Comfort in the bag, handing it to Blair.

Blair smiled confidently, aiming her gun as she made her way out of the store, backing away. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I wanna thank you all for your cooperation today. Thank you all and have a good day."

The tape suddenly ended.

Afterwards, everyone glanced at each other, their mouths dropped open and shock evident on all of their faces.

"Jesus Christ," Casey replied, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Good _God_…was that our _Blair?" _Tootie asked, tears filling her eyes.

"My Lord, I don't think I've seen anything as appalling as this since the Patty Hearst robbery!" David exclaimed in horror.

"Where's Jo? Where is she?" Charlie Polniaczek demanded, rising out of his seat.

"She would _have_ to be with Blair which makes her just as guilty. She's the getaway driver," Natalie said, shaking her head, stunned.

"I can't believe this. I _can't_," Charlie replied, clenching his fists. "How did this even happen? I'm so confused."

"We don't know. They won't even call us. Rick told us they were fine and then _this _happens," Beverly Ann said. "Then _he _ends up missing."

"Well, when I see him, he's gonna wish he had never been born!" Charlie exclaimed while his ex-wife, Rose, sat stoic and motionless.

"And to think we said we couldn't see them harming anybody," Tootie said ruefully.

"So now what happens?" Andy asked curiously.

"Well, we're going to have to have all of your phones tapped in the case Ms. Warner or Mrs. Bonner calls any of you. If they do…well…we'll see what happens from there," Bradley McNeal informed them.

Everyone nodded, still shaking their heads in disbelief.

As everyone departed the office, Natalie pulled Tootie away to a corner of the room to talk quietly.

"Did you notice how quiet Mrs. Polniaczek was when they told us Jo was involved in that robbery?" Natalie asked.

Tootie nodded. "Yeah…she didn't even look like she even remotely bothered or anything."

"What's up with _that?_" Natalie wondered.

"I don't know. I'm just _so disappointed _in Jo and Blair. I don't understand how they could _do _such a thing. Boy, are they in _trouble."_

"Yeah…nothing's making any sense. The world's gone completely mad. Now we'd better find Beverly Ann so we can get back to Peekskill," Natalie said.

Tootie nodded sadly. "I hope I get to see my friends again," she replied. "I don't know what they did to decide to rob a store but I hope they come out of this somehow."

Natalie rested a hand on Tootie's shoulder. "Me, too, Toot," she agreed. "Me, too."


	23. Chapter 23: Intuition

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Intuition_

Rick arrived back in Peekskill from the airport later that night, his abrupt and sudden separation from Jo wore heavy on his mind.

_Man, am I bushed,_ he thought tiredly. All he wanted was some sleep to help him get through the very tough and exhausted day.

As he trudged to his apartment building, two men approached him in plainclothes, showing him their badges. He eyed the men suspiciously.

"Are you Rick Bonner, sir?" One cop asked him.

Rick nodded, dumbfounded. He dropped his suitcase.

"Come with us, sir," the other officer replied.

They grabbed his arms and led him away to a waiting police car.

* * *

It was a hot day as Cody walked alone up a long stretch of road in rural Oklahoma. He had walked for a few hours and had been able to thumb down a ride or two from strangers.

After he'd gotten off from his second hitchhike, he continued on, clutching the left pocket of his jeans; the jeans that contained the money he'd swiped from Blair's motel room.

He thought briefly of Blair. She was sweet and very nice but deep down, he knew they weren't evenly matched. She was a high society uptown girl and he was a hillbilly stick-up punk. _No way __**that **__would've worked_, he thought.

As he ambled on, he spotted a car in the distance. He immediately stuck out his thumb, hoping to attract attention to the driver to stop so he could get another ride.

To his dismay and shock, as the car got closer to him, he could see it was a state police car. The car pulled up alongside him.

"Where ya headin' to, mister?" One of the cops, a burly man with a thick brown beard, asked Cody.

Cody shrugged. "Just to Tulsa, sir," he responded, giving the officer a nervous grin. He dropped his duffel bag.

"Tulsa, huh? You got some kind of ID, sir?" The officer asked him, gazing at Cody suspiciously.

Cody bit his lip. "Uh…sure…" He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. "Lemme check for you, officer…"

* * *

"Woah…Jo, I _really _think you outta slow down," Blair admonished as Jo continued speeding down a dirt road. "I'd absolutely _die _if we get caught because of a fucking _speeding _ticket."

Jo considered Blair's suggestion and let her foot off the gas pedal a little, watching the speed drop from the speedometer.

Jo let out a nervous breath. "For the first time in my life, I wish this car _wasn't _red," she replied.

Blair raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure we should be driving like this?" She asked. "In broad daylight and everything?"

Jo sighed. "No, we shouldn't. But I'm tryin' to put some distance between us and the scene of our last fuckin' _crime_!"

Blair let out a proud, boastful shriek, thinking back to her robbery. "Oooooooooweeee! You should've _seen _me, Jo! It was like I'd done it before – for _years_! Nobody would've _ever _believed it."

Jo cast a quick look at Blair. "So…what…bein' a lawyer is out of the question now? Ya think ya found ya _true_ calling?" She asked her, half-teasing.

Blair threw her head back and let out a loud guffaw. "Maybe," she admitted. She then rose up from her seat. "The call of the wild!" She exclaimed giddily. She then began howling like a dog and took a long swig from her bottle of Southern Comfort.

Jo looked on, in both surprise and amusement.

_Again, **who** is this person?_ She thought.

"Blair, you're disturbed," Jo remarked, shaking her head.

Blair sat back in her seat, turning her head towards Jo and beamed. "Why, yes, I believe I am," she told her, giggling.

* * *

"I'm _telling_ you, I _really _think Jo's mom knows something!" Natalie insisted later that evening in their room.

"Nat, what makes you sure?" Tootie asked. "You don't even have any proof."

Natalie huffed. "Well, _no,_" she admitted. "But I just have a _feeling_. She was too quiet earlier. She never acted angry or surprised or _anything, _like Mr. Polniaczek did."

Tootie shrugged. "So?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Tootie, does a woman's intuition mean _anything_ to you? I may be wrong, but I have the feeling Mrs. Polniaczek is hiding something or knows something of some great importance the police probably need to know! There's _something_ she's not saying!"

Tootie groaned. "Well, you can't go meddling and sticking your nose in other people's business based on your _intuition_, Natalie! Even _I _know that!" She then sighed. "I think you need to leave Mrs. Polniaczek alone. It's bad enough her daughter was involved in an _armed robbery._ Maybe she was shell shocked because of that. Whatever the reason, just _butt _out. Let Rollins and the police handle it."

Natalie sighed. "Fine. I won't get involved," she relented.

"Promise?"

Natalie sighed heavily. "Tootie, I promise."

Tootie nodded, satisfied. "Good," she said. "Now let's get something to eat. Maybe afterwards, we should probably go to bed. Rollins and McNeal will probably be here in the morning to tap our phones in case Blair or Jo call here."

Natalie stayed quiet. _This is all too surreal, _she thought. _Who would've __**believed **__the FBI would tap our phones, looking for our friends? _

"Crazy shit," she said to herself.

Later that night, after Tootie had fallen asleep, Natalie crept out of the bedroom and made her way to the living room to use the phone.

_I know I'm breaking Tootie's promise but I __**can't **__let this go! _She thought as she began dialing numbers to Rollins' number on the card she was given.

"Hello? This is Ted Rollins, New York State Investigator, homicide," Natalie heard him answer.

"Um, hello, sir. It's Natalie Green. I'm one of Blair Warner and Jo Bonner's friends…um…listen…I have something I _think _you might need to consider looking into…"


	24. Chapter 24: Realization

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Realization_

Rick sat inside a tiny interrogation room with Rollins, McNeal and a few police detectives, nervously wiping his palms against his pants. He had no idea why he was there but he began to get an idea it had _something _to do with Jo. _It could maybe explain why she was so secretive_, he thought.

His bit his lip nervously as he stared at the men sitting across from him, all studying him very closely. Rollins rose from his seat and walked over to him.

"Mr. Bonner, do you know why you're here today?" Rollins asked him, giving him a steely gaze.

Rick's mouth felt like sandpaper. "No, not really, sir, if I'm being quite honest with you," he answered.

"Well, do the names Blair and Joanna ring any bells?"

Rick gave Rollins a slow nod. "The Joanna you speak of is my wife...or maybe _was _my wife and Blair is her best friend."

"What do you mean Joanna _was _your wife?" Rollins asked curiously.

"She wanted to separate. I guess, on a legal standpoint, she's still my wife but as of today, we've separated."

"Huh...I see...well, Mr. Bonner, you're right about your wife still being your wife. You never got an official divorce so your wife is _still _your wife. However, we're not here to talk about your marital status. So you say you have absolutely no clue as to why you're here?"

"No. But I _do _have a feeling it has _something _to do with my wife's evasiveness. Even when I tried to ask her what was wrong, she never wanted to tell me. And I _tried!_ She told me she had gone fishing with Blair but she was in trouble and needed some help."

"Did your wife or Ms. Warner ever mention to you that a man was shot and killed outside a bar in upstate New York and witnesses spotted them leaving the scene?"

Rick's eyes widened in shock. "Wait..._what?!_ Are you fucking _kidding_ me right now?" He asked.

"So you didn't know? Neither your wife or Ms. Warner _ever_ mentioned _anything _to you about _anything_?"

"No! I swear to God!" Rick exclaimed, his voice straining. "Jo wouldn't tell me one _thing!_ Christ! You really should try to find that guy that was with them. He would probably know."

"Guy? What guy? Tell us about him," Rollins said.

Rick sighed. "He looked a little bit younger than they did, I think. Maybe around twenty or twenty-one, maybe. He had dark hair."

Rick clenched his jaw in anger, struggling hard to contain all his emotions. _Jo used me,_ he thought dejectedly. _She and Blair_ _**knew**_ _all along about this guy getting killed and didn't want to tell me because they wanted to take off with all that money and leave town! _

Rick then felt heartbroken. He remembered the day he wanted to marry Jo and how he'd proposed to her. He remembered how hesitant she'd been at first and how he'd promised to take care of things once he'd start working and provide for them and the family he'd hoped to bring. However, life happened and he found himself too busy with work and not home often enough to even _try _to make his marriage work.

It all became crystal clear to him now. _She was hesitant because she never truly wanted me. She wants to run off into the sunset somewhere with Blair. _ He was confused as to how the man he'd seen with Blair fit into the picture but he had an inkling he was involved with this whole situation _somehow_.

Rick scrunched his face in concentration as he tried to remember the face of the man he'd seen with Blair. "They said they'd picked him up along the way or something. That he was a student...but he just didn't look _right_ to me. He left when they got to the motel."

McNeal frowned, looking bored and uninterested. "Mr. Bonner, you _do _understand that you may be facing an accessory charge, don't you?" he asked.

"This is serious, Mr. Bonner. A man is _dead_," Rollins added.

Rick groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. "I _know, _I know!_ Fuck!_ I _know _something happened otherwise she _never _would have left! I'm trying to remember everything! You need to find that fucking guy! He probably _knows_ something!"

_If Jo wants to separate from me, fine! Because of her, I could possibly go to jail! She and Blair can __**have **__each other, if that's what they really want!_

* * *

"So what's the plan, Blair? Are ya just gonna sit and stay drunk?" Jo asked crossly as she watched Blair empty her purse of all the empty Southern Comfort bottles and toss them out the window of the car.

Blair shrugged nonchalantly. "Try to, at least," she answered. _At least when I'm drunk, I don't have to **feel**_, Blair thought, a little moodily.

"Litterbug," Jo muttered under her breath.

Blair then took out her lipstick and began applying it to her lips, looking at herself in the side mirror.

As Jo rode on, the two women found themselves next to a semi-tanker gas truck. The mud flaps with the naked women silhouettes they recognized before came into focus. The truck noticeably got slower than they were going and Blair and Jo both couldn't understand why.

"_Great._ This kinda thing _always _happens when ya in a hurry," Jo remarked irritably. "Lemme see if I can pass this guy so we can move."

She then tried to nose out to try to pass the truck. However, a car suddenly came and passed them and the driver of the truck began honking his horn.

Blair smiled appreciatively. "Aw, isn't that nice?" she asked, turning to Jo. "Truck drivers are really just _so _nice! The best drivers on the road!"

As the two women continued on, driving next to the driver, they both turned to look at him. He was a much older gentleman with shaggy, unkempt brown hair, scraggly beard and was wearing a faded plaid shirt and jeans and a dusty cap and sunglasses.

The trucker then waved at them, smiling. Blair and Jo both waved back and gave him matching smiles.

He then began flicking his tongue at them and acting out some obscene gesture with his hand and arm.

"UGH! GROSS! OH MY GOD!" Jo and Blair both screamed out in disgust as Jo floored it and the car finally sped past the dirty trucker.

Blair looked scandalized. "_Ugh! _What was _wrong_ with that man? Why do they have to do _that? _Now I'm gonna be scarred for life because of that."

_I'm going to be sick_, she thought. _I take back what I said about truckers...well, maybe just __**that**_ _trucker._

"They think we like it," Jo replied. "They probably think shit like that turns us on."

The two women then stared at each other, shivering with disgust.

_Like you, Blair, _Jo found herself thinking as she found herself glancing at Blair forlornly as Blair began looking at herself in the mirror a second time.

_Like you, Jo, _Blair thought, inwardly sighing as she caught Jo looking at her out of the corner of her eye.


	25. Chapter 25: Confession

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Confession_

Rick continued sitting in the interrogation room two hours later with Rollins and McNeal, going through a series of police mugshots of young men. They were trying to help identify the man Rick had remembered running into when he last saw Jo and Blair at the motel in Oklahoma.

"Is the guy you saw with them?" Rollins asked him, holding up a Polaroid mugshot of Cody Weston.

Rick's eyes widened in sheer recollection as he gazed closely at the photo. He then nodded.

"Yep," he confirmed. "It's him."

Rollins then clapped his hands. "Praise the Lord," he replied. "Oh, happy day."

"They picked up a _murderer?!_ Are they_ insane?"_ Rick said out loud.

"Armed robber," Rollins corrected him.

Rick moaned. "Oh, _great,_" he said sarcastically. "That's even better."

"They're flying him right now," McNeal said to Rollins. "He got picked up some time this morning for parole violation and they found about seven grand on him, so there's a possibility he knocked over something while he was there or something. They can drop him on by here for questioning. I'm _thrilled._"

_Wait a sec...seven grand...that's about the same amount I gave to Jo,_ Rick thought, remembering the phone call Jo had made and her request.

"Hold on, how much did he have?!" Rick asked, whipping his head in Rollins and McNeal's direction.

* * *

The dirt road the two women continued driving on seemed like it went on forever. It was quiet as Blair took a look at their surroundings. _Looks like we're in the desert_, she thought as she then began gazing up towards the sky. The top was down and the air was hot.

"Hey, Blair?" Jo asked her, breaking Blair instantly out of her thoughts.

Blair brought her head down and turned her head towards Jo. "Yeah?" She asked. _I hope she's going to try to kiss me or something,_ she thought hopefully.

"I want you to call Casey," Jo said.

Blair's face fell. _Damn it._

"What for?" She asked, making a face.

"To find out if he knows anything, Blair. If you think he does, you gotta hang up the phone because then it means the police told him and the phone probably got tapped."

Blair bit her lip in thought. "Well, what about our parents or Beverly Ann, Tootie and Natalie?"

Jo shook her head. "Nah, too risky. We don't know _what_ they know, quite frankly. For all we know, the police probably tapped their phones, too."

Blair let out a breath of air, blowing some loose hair out of her face.

"Gosh, Jo, tapped the phone? You really think so?"

Jo rolled her eyes. "Oh, _come on_, Blair!" She exclaimed agitatedly. "Murder one _and_ armed robbery!"

_"Murder one?"_ Blair squeaked. "Can't we say it was self-defense?"

Jo gave Blair a look. "Didn't you learn this stuff when you were in law school? It _wasn't_ self-defense. We got away, Blair! We were walkin' away!"

"OK, but they don't know that! It was just you and me there. I'll say he raped me and _you_ had to shoot him! I mean, it's almost the truth, right?"

"Yeah, but it won't work," Jo argued.

"Why not?" Blair asked, puzzled.

"Because we don't have any physical evidence, Blair," Jo told her. "We can't prove he did it. Hell, we probably can't even prove he touched you by now, too."

"The law's quite tricky, isn't it?" Blair mused, frowning. "Makes me wonder why I even decided to study it." She then chuckled wryly, stopping abruptly, when she realized there was something in Jo's statements that gave her pause. _How does she** know** all this stuff?_ Blair wondered. _I didn't know the law fascinated her._

"How do you know about all that stuff anyway, Jo?" Blair asked her curiously.

Jo cleared her throat loudly, choosing to "ignore" Blair's question.

Blair felt a little taken aback, getting the feeling Jo had chosen to purposely ignore Blair's last question. Instead, she only turned to Blair and spoke.

"Besides, what are we gonna say about the robbery?" She asked. "There's no excuse for that. There's no such thing as a justifiable robbery."

Blair scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. _Where was all of this knowledge when she was trying to help me get into law school? _Blair thought crossly. _And why is she avoiding my question? I **know** she heard me._

Blair only rolled her eyes. "Alright, Jo!" She exclaimed in annoyance, blowing out a breath of hot air,

She then sighed._ How do I expect to tell her how I really feel about her when she refuses to even answer the smallest of questions?_

There was definitely something going on and Blair was insistent on knowing what it was.

* * *

Casey sat alone in the lobby of the police building, nervously fidgeting while he sipped from a Styrofoam cup full of hot coffee. He had been waiting anxiously for forty-five minutes after being summoned by Rollins and McNeal as to what to do next after the police had arrived to tap his phone lines.

As he sipped, to his surprise, he saw two officers lead a young, lanky and rugged man down the hall in handcuffs with Rollins and McNeal following behind them.

_Who the **hell** is that?_ Casey thought curiously. He gave McNeal and Rollins both questioning looks but got no response as the group all went inside an interrogation room and quickly shut the door.

Casey groaned. _When the** fuck** am I gonna get some information here?_ He thought impatiently.

"Hey! Hey!" He shouted, pounding on the door.

McNeal and Rollins both ignored the pounding as they sat Cody Weston down in a chair.

"Who's the crazy nut?" Cody asked.

"That would be Blair Warner's boyfriend," Rollins informed him.

Cody bowed his head, muttering to himself. "Jesus," he muttered.

Rollins only narrowed his eyes at him. He then motioned to a police officer in plainclothes to bring him the VCR and tape.

Afterwards, they all watched the footage of Blair in the store.

"Hey, she did good. She did real good, didn't she?" Cody asked, smiling smugly, pleased with himself.

Rollins only gave Cody a long, hard look. "Well, young man, I'd say she's doing a damn sight better than you right now," he remarked. "How do you know her?"

Cody shrugged. "She's a friend," he lied.

"Where did you get 7k in cash?" McNeal asked Cody. "We spoke to a gentleman today who says he personally delivered about very close to that same amount to a Mrs. Joanna Bonner. Do you know her, too?"

"Yeah, I do know her. She was driving," he said.

"The gentleman we spoke to said he took the money to a motel in Oklahoma City," Rollins told him. "Also said he met a man and identified you through a series of mugshots. He said he noticed you and Miss Warner seemed pretty "close". That true?"

Cody grinned smugly as he remembered his close encounter with Blair. Even though the two had never gotten to have sex, Cody still had the images of Blair's golden hair, smooth, tanned skin and her short, silk nightgown she'd worn to bed that night to last him a lifetime.

"Yeah...I guess you could say we had _a meeting of the minds_, yes," he remarked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. It made Rollins feel almost sick to his stomach.

"Did you know that Mrs. Bonner and Miss Warner are both wanted in connection with a murder?" McNeal informed him.

Cody's face fell. "Wait...huh...what?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Did either of them ever indicate to you that they might be running from the law?" Rollins asked.

Cody's face turned almost ghost white. "Uh...now that you mention it...yeah, I guess you could say they both seemed a little jumpy," he replied.

Rollins scowled deeply at Cody. "You know what? You're really starting to irritate the hell outta me," he replied.

"Yeah, me, too," McNeal chimed in.

Rollins turned to McNeal and then back to Cody thoughtfully. "Do you mind if I have a quick word with this young man?" He asked. "It will only be a minute."

McNeal nodded, agreeing. He then opened the door and he and the other officers left the room.

After everyone had left, Rollins turned to face Cody, giving him a cold, steely look.

"What? What'd I do?" Cody asked, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

Rollins sat on the table in front of Cody, continuing to glare at him. "Kid, I got this _feeling_ and I just want to ask your opinion on the matter," he replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But tell me this and be honest...do you think Blair Warner would have committed armed robbery if you hadn't taken all their money?"

Cody didn't answer. Instead, he only glanced down at his feet.

"What's the matter, son? Cat got your tongue?" Rollins taunted.

"Well, how do you know I took it?" Cody countered. "How do you know they didn't just give it to me?"

Rollins scowled, slamming his hand down the table so hard, it made Cody jump.

"Oh, cut the shit!" He roared, his face suddenly turning a bright red. "_Cut it!_ There's two girls out there that had a chance! A real chance! And you blew it for 'em! Now they've gotten into some real serious trouble! Very serious trouble and for at least part of it, I'm gonna be holding _you_ personally responsible for anything that happens to them. Now, I don't give a damn what happens to you but I may be the only person in the world who gives a rat's ass what happens to them and you're either gonna tell me everything you know so there's a small chance I can actually try to do some good for them or I'm gonna be on you like a fly on shit for the rest of your miserable, fucking life. Your misery is gonna be my mission in life and that's a promise."

Rollins then walked over to the door and opened it, letting McNeal and the other police officers back in.

"Now, just so you know, you violated your parole three days out. And you know how Judge Davis is. He _hates_ this sort of thing. Once he gets wind of this, he's gonna blow his top. And when he hears that you're a possible accessory to murder and armed robbery...well...I think we all know what's gonna happen then, don't we? Your ass _will_ be placed right back in the slammer for at least the remaining seven years, don't you agree?"

McNeal chuckled. "Oh, definitely," he agreed, nodding his head.

Cody sighed, the smug and boastful look he sported several minutes ago, long wiped off his face. He only nodded, looking defeated. "Okay. Is somebody gonna write this down?" he asked, ready for his confession.

Rollins nodded, this time, his face looking smug. "Absolutely," he replied. "And make it quick. I have a meeting with someone else tonight."


	26. Chapter 26: Rose's Secret

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Rose's Secret_

Casey tapped his fingers agitatedly as he watched Rollins and McNeal escort Cody out of the interrogation room. He scowled deeply in annoyance as he had been waiting for somebody to inform him of something since waiting for hours outside the room.

"Ah, Mr. Clark, if you'll just hang on. I want to have a word with you and then we'll take you home," Rollins informed him as he stepped out of the room first. He quickly made a beeline to his office, grabbing the phone.

He took out a piece of paper from his pocket of a phone number given to him, immediately dialing it when he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered.

"Rose Polniaczek?" Rollins asked.

"Yes. It is. I got your message yesterday regarding my daughter. I'll tell you whatever you need if it'll help find her. What do I need to do?"

"Well, ma'am...You won't need to come here. If it's alright with you, I'd like to come visit tonight. I know it's probably a bit late. My visit won't be long. I just need to ask you a few questions about your daughter and then I'll be out of your hair. Is that OK with you?"

"Sure. Whatever you need. I just want…no…need…to see my baby again. I'll tell you whatever you need to know if that's what it'll take to make sure she'll be OK."

"Well, in that case, I'll be at your place in a hour or two. Just handling some business here back at the office. Thank you, ma'am."

With that, Rollins hung up the phone, walking back to meet with McNeal, Cody and the other officers. He had arrived just in time to see Cody make an inappropriate remark to Casey about Blair, grinning smugly to himself.

"Come back here, you little fucking shit!" Casey yelled, ready to leap upon Cody.

Cody only laughed and began taunting Casey with lewd body gestures. An infuriated Casey could only watch as several officers restrained him from beating Cody into a bloody pulp.

Rollins only sighed tiredly. _It's gonna be a long fucking night,_ he thought.

* * *

"Hello," Rose Polniaczek greeted Ted Rollins an hour and a half later as he stood in front of her apartment in the Bronx.

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you for allowing me the chance to talk you to today," Rollins said to her.

Rose nodded politely. "It's not a problem, Investigator. I wish I had said something sooner when you summoned us all that day at your headquarters but I just was too afraid to talk – especially with Charlie sitting right there. I do apologize for that."

"So there is something you want to admit? I thought Natalie Green calling me, insisting that I talk to you would be a waste of time. Does it explain your daughter's disappearance and her involvement with this robbery?" Rollins asked. "I'd really like to know, ma'am."

Rose sighed, bowing her head. "Why don't we have a seat and I'll explain everything," she said. She then motioned her arm towards the inside of her apartment, inviting Rollins inside.

After Rollins walked inside and Rose had closed the door, she sat down in a chair in her small living room and pointed to another chair across from her coffee table for Rollins to sit in.

"Would you like something, sir? Coffee? Tea? Water?" Rose offered.

Rollins shook his head, sitting down. "No, thank you," he said. "I'd like to listen you."

Rose nodded. "Of course," she replied. She then sighed. "Where do I begin? Well…I'd say after Jo's father and I split up and he went to jail, one of my siblings in Texas suggested to me that Jo and I move there for a fresh start. I thought it was a great idea, so we did. We moved to a small town outside San Antonio and I got a job working as a waitress in a honky-tonk bar. The tips were great, the customers were friendly and I got along great with the staff. The owner of the bar was a man named Frank Hanley, He was a fifty-something old man, kind of handsome with big brown eyes and a a bit of a crew cut. He hired me on the spot."

She smiled faintly as she continued on with her story. "That bar had live music every day and night and it had some of the most interesting patrons. There were some who were a little handsy but Mr. Hanley had the waitresses' backs. He always exchanged words with some of the patrons who dared try to grope us. Jo would always come to the bar after school to see me while I worked. She liked to talk me and just hang out with her mom, watching me work."

Tears began to slip from her eyes. "When Mr. Hanley noticed that Jo started coming everyday and that she was my daughter, he would talk to her and give her free food and talk about how pretty she looked all the time. I admit, at first, I didn't think much of it because Mr. Hanley was like a protective dad to all of us and he was so warm and kind to everyone. So I never thought anything bad about him and Jo."

She then gripped the arms of the chair with her fingernails so hard, Rollins thought the fabric on the upholstery would rip.

"Usually, when Jo came by everyday to see me at work after school, I would be there. But one day, I had switched shifts with a fellow co-worker and I had to show up in the morning instead of the afternoon. I had forgotten to tell Jo. I went home after my shift and realized later she had probably went to my job to find me. I went back to the bar to get her and there she was. Almost right away, I noticed there was something odd going on with her but she refused to talk about it. Months went by where her grades started slipping. She started playing hooky instead of going to school, getting involved in fights, acting out in class, talking back to her teachers and hanging out with rough crowds. A teacher suggested she see a therapist and Jo adamantly refused. Instead, she pleaded with me to move back to New York because she was so miserable in Texas."

"Well, ma'am…what exactly was wrong with your daughter?" Rollins asked curiously.

Rose sighed, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"I did what she wanted and we moved back to New York but things there just got worse. She joined a gang and got herself a boyfriend I wasn't exactly fond of. Her attitude in New York was the same as it was in Texas. I knew of her potential as an intelligent young woman and didn't want to see her talents wasted so I enrolled her in a private girls school in Peekskill called Eastland. It was there that she flourished. She did have her moments there where it seemed she would throw in the towel or completely blow it but she did extremely well. However, when she was set to graduate from Eastland, I received a letter from a lawyer who informed me that Mr. Hanley was now in prison, doing time for the aggravated assault and rape of a young girl. She was the daughter of a worker of his at the same bar I had worked in in Texas. Mr. Hanley had given up names of other girls he had abused over the years and…and…and…"

Rose stopped talking and began sobbing.

Rollins got up from his seat, placing a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder.

"Hanley named your daughter as one of his victims?" He asked grimly.

Rose only slightly nodded.

"So your daughter never told you she was raped? You never went to court?" Rollins asked in confusion.

"Jo had been doing so well at Eastland. I know it probably seems a little selfish on my part but I didn't want to trigger any bad memories and have something bad happen to her. I even wrote to the prosecutor and begged not to have Jo testify because I was afraid of the possibility setting her off. I didn't want my baby to hurt herself because of what that monster did to her. The prosecutor already gave me the details of what happened to Jo. He raped her in a bathroom and forced her not to tell anyone or he'd do something worse. She probably kept her mouth shut because she thought she was protecting me. When I think about that, it hurts my heart. What a unbearable load for a young girl to have to bear. My poor baby."

Rose then buried her head in her lap, weeping loudly. "As far as I know, she hasn't told a soul. She didn't even tell me. I don't know how or why she and Blair ended up robbing a store. I haven't seen my baby since two weeks ago and nothing in her demeanor indicated she would be capable of doing that. I don't know if she went looking for Hanley to kill him or what. I'm not sure if she even knows he went to prison.I just don't know. Ever since you all told us of the robbery, we've all been worried sick."

Rollins sighed. "Well, ma'am, to tell you the truth, I don't think your daughter and her friend are looking for your daughter's rapist."

Rose looked up at Rollins, perplexed.

"We're actually connecting them with a murder. I hate to have to tell you this bit we have reason to believe your daughter and her friend murdered a man in East Aurora and are en route to Mexico to as means of escaping and evading the law."

Rose gave Rollins a disbelieving look. "But..but…that's impossible! Sure, my daughter may have been a little rough around the edges but she is not a killer! And neither is Blair! I don't know what got into them as far as robbing a convenience store but slaughtering people? I'm sorry but that's a very serious accusation that I just don't believe!"

Rollins only shook his head. "Ma'am, I'm sorry you feel that way," he said. "But I'm telling you we have plenty of evidence regarding the murder case and the robbery and all of it points to them." He then placed a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder, feeling sympathy for her. "Trust us. I know hearing this news about your daughter is a lot but believe me when I tell you the evidence we have is damning."

Rose didn't answer. She only rose up from her seat, a faraway look in her eyes. "Damning, you say?" She asked.

Rollins nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he told her sadly. "Damning."

"Well, if you ever get the chance to speak to her, please convince her to turn herself in. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to her. She's strong but…even the strong can only handle so much. Can you please try to convince her and Blair to turn themselves in? I know Monica would agree with me if something were to ever happen to Blair."

Rose's face then twisted up into the most saddest face Rollins had ever seen. Rose then screamed out a long, loud sob as she then hit the floor.

Rollins immediately pulled Rose up off the floor and wrapped her into a tight hug, trying his best to comfort Rose as best he could. "I'll do my very best, ma'am," he said to her softly as he listened to the heartbroken mother sob openly on his shoulder.


	27. Chapter 27: Wish On the Sky

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Wish On the Sky_

That same night, weary from hours of driving, Jo and Blair pulled up in front of a twenty-four hour gas station.

A young gas station attendant approached the two women immediately as they both got out of the car.

"Fill 'er up," Jo said to the attendant, who nodded and grabbed a gas nozzle.

Jo then craned her head, looking for a payphone.

"Ah, aha. There's one right there," she said to Blair, pointing to one at the corner of the small gas station.

Blair only grimaced. She then sighed dramatically. "Let's just get this over with," she replied, pouting.

Jo had wanted Blair to call Casey and Blair was already dreading having to hear his voice again. But she knew she had to do it.

"I'm not kiddin', Blair," Jo replied sternly. "If you even_ think_ he knows, even if you're not sure, just hang up."

Blair inwardly sighed again as Jo handed her some change. She then inserted the money into the phone and began dialing her home number.

* * *

Casey was in the middle of watching a late-night talk show with McNeal, Rollins and a few other police officers when the phone suddenly rang, waking everybody out of their slumber.

When the phone rang a third time, everyone sprang into action. Casey watched as the men all slipped on headsets and turned on tape recorders, ready to record and trace anything of any importance.

McNeal then motioned to Casey to pick up the phone.

Casey grabbed it, putting the receiver to his mouth.

"Hello?" He asked.

* * *

"Hey, Casey, it's me," Blair answered.

"Blair! Hello!" Casey exclaimed in a friendly tone.

_**Too**_ _friendly, _Blair thought suspiciously.

She immediately hung up the phone.

"He knows," she told Jo in a flat, matter-of-fact voice, rolling her eyes.

Jo only groaned. _Well, here goes nothin', _she thought.

"You got any change?" She asked Blair. Blair fished around in her purse and handed Jo a bunch of quarters.

She then stepped out of the way and stood next to Jo as Jo grabbed the phone to dial Blair's house again.

* * *

"What? What'd I do?" Casey asked as everyone glared at him. "All I said was 'hello'."

Before anyone could verbally attack Casey, the phone rang again. This time, Casey didn't wait to be told to answer. He picked it up and spoke, watching as the police turned on their equipment again.

"Hello?" Casey asked again when he picked up a second time.

"Casey, this is Jo. Are the police there?" Jo asked, cutting directly to the chase.

Casey's face flushed as he quickly tried to come up with a lie. "Uh, uh, no. No police here!" He lied, fumbling with the phone. "Why would the police be here? Where are you girls at anyway?"

He then removed his mouth from the receiver, giving the officers a wink and a thumbs-up. McNeal and Rollins only rolled their eyes at him.

"Look, lemme talk to whoever's in charge there, OK?" Jo demanded, rolling her eyes. _This buffoon is a horrible liar,_ she thought, tapping her fingers against the side of the payphone impatiently.

"What are you talking about, Jo?" Casey asked, lying again.

Rollins, who had heard Jo's voice from his headset, snatched the phone from Casey's hands. He looked to McNeal, who nodded. "Take it," he mouthed.

Rollins placed the phone to his lips. "Hello, Mrs. Bonner. I'm Ted Rollins, Chief Investigator, Homicide, New York State Police. How are you?" he greeted Jo.

Jo chuckled. _So polite,_ she thought as she heard Rollins' voice for the first time.

"I've been better," she remarked.

"You girls are in some extremely hot water," he said to her.

"Yes, sir," Jo said to him. "I know."

"You're both OK? Neither of you is hurt, are you? You're being careful with that gun?"

Jo couldn't believe this was a _cop_ she was talking to on the phone. He didn't _sound _like any cop she'd ever heard. He seemed more _fatherly_ to her than anything. _This is a cop that'll throw us in jail if we get caught! Snap out of it!_

"We're both fine," she said.

"Good. Now, you wanna tell me what happened?"

"Eh...maybe over coffee one day," Jo wisecracked. "I'll pay."

Rollins couldn't help but smile. There was something about Jo that made him smile. Listening to her, she didn't sound like a fugitive/killer. He just couldn't put his finger on it. However, he had to remind himself that Jo _was _a fugitive and a possible killer and he couldn't get attached.

"I just want you to know that neither one of you are charged with murder yet. You're both still wanted for questioning. Although, sad to say, Ms. Warner's wanted in Oklahoma for armed robbery."

_Tell me somethin' I don't know,_ Jo thought, rolling her eyes. "No kiddin'," she remarked. "Look, we gotta go. I'll call ya back, all right?"

She then looked at her watch. _At least we know Casey knows._

Before Jo could hang up the phone, Rollins began speaking again. "Please let us help you, Mrs. Bonner," he offered. "I don't think you two are gonna make it in Mexico."

Jo's mouth opened in a shocked gasp. _How the __**fuck**_ _did_ _**he**_ _know we were goin' to Mexico? The only person other than me who knew was…_

She cast a glowering look at Blair, who had tried to dart away from Jo towards the car once she caught Jo's angry glance.

"Blair! Is there somethin' you want to tell me?" Jo asked angrily, stomping her way to the car. "How'd that cop know we were goin' to Mexico, huh?"

Blair opened the passenger side of the car and got in. She then bowed her head ashamedly but didn't answer.

Jo narrowed her eyes, gasping as she finally put two and two together.

"Wait a minute...you told that motherfuckin', thievin' _pretty boy_ where we were goin', didn't ya?!" Jo demanded, her face red.

Blair brought her head up. "I only told him if he ever got to Mexico, to look us up," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't think he would _tell_!"

Jo then yanked open her car door, got in and slammed the door. "Why _wouldn't_ he tell?" She asked bitterly. "What's _he_ got to lose? Other than my goddamn life's savings, that is! _Fuck!_"

Jo started the ignition and drove off down the road, gritting her teeth angrily.

Blair brought her head up from her lap. _OK, I've __**really **__fucked up big time, _Blair thought as she caught a glimpse of Jo's scowling face. _How can I make this right? Apologizing might be a start._

"Jo, I'm sorry," Blair began, gulping nervously. "I mean_"

Blair's words were interrupted as Jo immediately slammed on the brakes.

"Goddammit, Blair!" Jo yelled out. She then whipped her head to face her. "Lemme explain somethin' to ya! Right now, we have only _two _things goin' for us! One, nobody knows where we are and two, nobody knows where we're goin! Now, one of those things that _was_ goin' for us is _gone_!"

_How did we get here? _Jo thought to herself. _This is crazy. Last week, I was a working housewife and now I'm a fugitive, in love with my best friend, running away with her! _

Jo then took a deep breath as she looked at Blair's pitiful, regretful face.

Jo reached out a hand and patted Blair's shoulder comfortingly. "Look," she said, sighing. "You just gotta _stop_ talkin' to people, Blair! Stop bein' so damn _open_! Like it or not, we're fugitives now - we gotta start behavin' that way!"

Blair turned to look at Jo. She nodded her head resolutely. "You're right," she agreed. She then gave Jo an adorably sheepish smile that only made Jo smile back. Jo found it hard to stay mad at Blair for too long.

"So where are we?" Blair asked softly as they drove down the dark highway desert.

"The map said just past Boise City," Jo informed her.

Blair's face crinkled up in confusion. "Idaho?" She asked.

Jo shook her head. "No, Blair. I meant Boise City, _Oklahoma. _ We'll be heading towards New Mexico soon."

"Ohhhhhh. Well, I've always wanted to see New Mexico," Blair replied.

"You've never been? With all the money you have?" Jo asked curiously.

Blair shook her head. "Nah. New Mexico isn't exactly a place you'd expect to find many society people. My mother wouldn't be caught _dead_ out in a desert like this. But when I was a kid, I used to really like reading all types of books about the Apache and Pueblo tribes living in places like New Mexico and Arizona."

Blair then stopped talking, pointing her head up to gaze at the pitch-black sky. _It's so beautiful,_ she thought. _So breathtaking...so...romantic. _

She frowned sadly._ I don't see any stars. I can't wish on anything._

She then pouted. _But can't I just wish on the sky then? Maybe I will. It's worth a shot._

"I wish Jo would kiss me," she muttered softly to herself. She then continued gazing at the night sky.

Meanwhile, as Jo drove, she glanced at Blair in shock. She then gulped nervously. She had heard Blair's wish.


	28. Chapter 28: Stand By Me

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: Stand By Me_

There had been tension at Beverly Ann's house every since everyone had learned of Blair's robbery and Rick's interrogation. The phones had been tapped but there had been no phone call from neither Jo nor Blair, which was baffling to everyone except Natalie.

"It's obvious," Natalie had stated that evening as she and Tootie washed dishes together. "I bet they're aware by now that we've been notified by the police and that's why they don't want to call us."

Tootie frowned. "You really think so, Nat?" She asked.

"Absolutely. They probably don't want to involve us. I mean, look what happened to Rick!"

Tootie sighed sadly. "Yeah," she agreed, thinking back to Rick's call back to everyone, explaining what had happened to him at the police station. "I guess it _wouldn't _be wise to involve us and become possible accessories to a crime." Tootie wiped a dish dry with her towel rag and set the dish inside a cupboard. She then bit her lip thoughtfully. "Although, I _must _say it was incredibly terrible for Jo and Blair to _use _Rick like that! And then Blair fooling around in the backseat of a car with a guy who turned out to be an armed robber! Then Blair actually goes and _robs_ a store herself and to make matters worse, they might be involved in _killing _somebody! Just listening and _talking_ about it…I just can't _believe _it!"

Tears suddenly flooded Tootie's eyes. "Just can't help but think to myself…are these the same girls I was friends with all these years?" She asked. "I thought I _knew _Jo and Blair, Nat!"

Natalie couldn't believe her ears. "Tootie, I'm _sure_ there's a reasonable explanation for everything that's happened," she reassured, thinking back to her suspicions about Jo's mother and her phone call to Rollins behind Tootie's back. "Yes, I do agree that this _does_ seem a little out-of-character for them but these are our _friends_! We can't turn our backs on them!"

Tootie wiped her tears away. "I don't know, Nat. Right now, it just seems so hard to even consider them my friends anymore. They seem like total strangers now."

Natalie's mouth widened in shock. "Dorothy Louise Ramsey, I _don't_ fucking believe you!" She yelled, throwing her wet dish rag on the floor angrily. "How the _fuck _can you _say_ some _shit _like that? What the fuck happened to the Four Musketeers? What kind of friend are you?"

"Well, you tell me, Natalie!" Tootie retorted. "If Rick wasn't in the picture, I bet they'd be calling us, trying to use _us! _Don't you get it? Rick could've gone to fucking _jail_ as an accessory! They involved him and lied to him so Jo could get her life savings from him! If they did that to _him_, they easily could've treated _us_ like that!"

"Tootie, would you _please _listen to yourself?" Natalie pleaded. "There _has _to be a reasonable explanation for everything that's happened – I know there is!"

Tootie only rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt it," she scoffed. "And if I were you, Nat, I think I'd question if Jo and Blair are really the two people we thought they were because it seems to _me, _they aren't."

With that, Tootie tossed her dishrag into the sink and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Natalie in the kitchen alone.

Natalie gulped. _Is Tootie actually __**right**__? _She thought as she slumped into a chair. _I __**know **__something happened to them for this to happen! I know it! _

"I know _them,_" she said out loud, to herself as she felt tears fall down her face.

* * *

Blair sipped her mini bottle of Southern Comfort, staring into space thoughtfully as she and Jo continued their drive through the darkness.

"So now what?" She asked aloud, thinking of the phone call between Jo and the police.

"Now what _what_?" Jo asked in confusion.

"I mean what are we gonna _do_?" Blair asked as if she had asked an obvious question.

Jo only shrugged. "Eh, I don't know, Blair," She said, giving Blair a playful smirk. "Maybe we could turn ourselves in. We could spend our lives tradin' cigarettes for mascara and lipstick so we look _real_ nice when our families come to see us on Saturday. Hell, maybe we could even pop out a few kids with the prison guards."

Blair gave Jo a disgusted look. "I'm not suggesting _that_! I'm _not_ going back, no matter _what _happens! So don't worry about me."

Blair then stayed quiet, taking a long sip from her tiny bottle of liquor.

"You got anymore of those?" Jo asked her.

Blair chuckled. "Of course," she said, handing Jo a bottle.

"Thanks," Jo said gratefully, taking a sip from her bottle.

The car then remained quiet except for the low hum coming from the radio, which was playing oldies but goodies.

Blair sighed comfortably. Something about the music, the drive down the dark road in the deserts of New Mexico with Jo driving made Blair incredibly content.

She didn't know if it was the alcohol but Blair suddenly felt herself wanting to ask Jo funny questions.

"Jo? Can I ask sort of a weird question?" Blair asked softly.

Jo turned to Blair. "Yeah. I guess so," she said.

"Out of all the things in the world, what's the thing that scares you most?"

Jo gave Blair a perplexed look. _What would make her ask __**that? **_She thought.

"Uh…ya mean now or before?" Jo found herself asking.

"Before," Blair answered.

Jo then shrugged her shoulders. "To be completely honest, I guess I always thought the worst thing that could've _ever _happened to me would be to end up old and alone in some crappy apartment with one of those weird-lookin' dogs."

Blair looked confused. "What weird-looking dogs?" She asked.

"Ya know, those little dogs ya see people with?"

"You're going to have to narrow that category down _just _a little bit, Jo," Blair replied. "Like Chihuahuas?"

"Those too. But I'm talkin' about the little hairy ones. They have flat faces and have those ugly teeth?"

"Oh! I know what you mean now! Those are pekapoos!" Blair exclaimed.

"Yeah, _those," _Jo replied. She then shivered. "Damn, those are some of the most ugly-ass dogs I've ever seen in my life. They always put the fear of God in me. What about you?"

Blair chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Well, quite honestly, I always _used _to think growing old was something to fear. But then I realized, the idea of growing old _with _Casey actually _really _scared me."

Jo nodded. "Yeah…I could see that," she said.

"I've seen pictures of him when he was in high school. He looked so much more different then. I mean…it's bad enough _I _have to grow old but if I had to do it with Casey would've just made it ten times worst."

_Wouldn't have minded growing old with __**you**__, _Blair thought, casting a small glance in Jo's direction.

"Well, maybe ya won't have to," Jo said quietly.

Blair raised an eyebrow quizzically. _What does she mean? _She wondered.

Blair found herself blushing at Jo's words. "Well, you sure know how to look at the bright side of things, don't you?" She asked, smiling.

The two women then kept quiet, gazing out at the desert of Mountain Valley lit up by the moonlight.

_Holy cow, this is so gorgeous! _Blair thought. _I hope Jo sees just how beautiful this is! _

"This is so beautiful," Blair said breathlessly. "Isn't it, Jo?"

Jo's eyes widened as her eyes explored Mountain Valley for the first time.

"Gosh…it sure is," she said, her voice low in awe.

"You know, I've done my fair share of travel and seen tons of beautiful places but _this…_I don't think this compares," Blair said. "I don't think anything _could."_

"Well, looks like ya right, Blair," Jo said, turning to her, smiling. _She's so damn beautiful like this,_ Jo thought, appreciating how Blair's face looked in near darkness.

Blair smiled back. _She's so beautiful, _she thought. _Especially how her eyes look in the moonlight._

The radio was playing Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" softly in the background. Blair couldn't imagine a more perfect song for their current situation.

_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid  
Oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

Jo then stopped the car, which made Blair raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why did we st_" Blair began to question.

Her voice was then interrupted by the touch of Jo's soft lips upon her own as she cupped her face with her hands.


	29. Chapter 29: Love of My Life

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Love of My Life_

_Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me. This __**has**__ to be a dream_, Blair thought blissfully.

In all the times she dreamed of her first kiss with Jo, she never, in her wildest dreams, dreamt she'd have it in a convertible on the roads of New Mexico in a desert at nightfall.

"Am I dreaming or did you just kiss me?" Blair asked after Jo had pulled her lips from Blair's.

Jo's face suddenly flushed. "Shit. Sorry. I don't know what came over me. I _"

To Jo's surprise, Blair only giggled. "You're so cute when you're flustered," she said. "No. I meant that I've waited for practically _**forever**_ for you to kiss me."

Jo gave Blair a half-smile. "Forever, huh? Well, did I fulfill your fantasy?"

Blair chuckled. "You have no idea," she said, in a sultry voice that gave Jo tingles.

"So ya wouldn't mind if I kissed you again?" Jo asked.

"Oh, _hell _no."

Without anymore hesitation, Jo scooted over, pushing Blair up against the door of the car. She then passionately kissed Blair, her hands finding themselves tangled in her hair.

Blair reciprocated by throwing her arms around Jo's neck, allowing Jo's tongue to slip into her mouth.

"Mmmm," Blair moaned when the two finally came up for air. Blair then sat up against the door of the car, staring up at Jo through lidded eyes. Her face was free of makeup, her hair mussed and her lips swollen from the aftermath of her and Jo's makeout session. It was a look Jo had never seen on Blair before and she instantly felt turned on knowing _she _had done that to her.

"Wow, Blair...ya look…"

"Beautiful? Yeah, I know," Blair said haughtily.

"Well, _yes,_ ya _are _beautiful, but I was going to say 'absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt, _fuckin' sexy.'"_

Blair blushed, biting her lip. "Hmmm...is that so?" She then got up from her seat and placed her knees on the seat in a kneeling position. She then slowly crawled her way on her hands and knees towards Jo and placed her palms on her thighs. She then placed her lips to Jo's ear.

"If I'm so _fucking sexy_, why don't you show me just how **_fucking sexy_** I am then?" She asked in a breathy voice.

Jo gulped as she squirmed in her seat. "Are ya _serious, _Blair? Ya really wanna do this _now_? We're in the middle of the fuckin' desert!"

Blair fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh, where's your sense of adventure? There's no one around and who's going to see us? And besides…"

She paused, giving Jo a sexy smirk. "I know you want me, Jo. After all those boyfriends I had and you with Rick, you wanted me. Facts are facts. I want you - you want me. Now here's your chance."

Blair then moved away from Jo and peeled off the thin, white cotton shirt she had been wearing, leaving her in a lavender lace bra.

Jo could do nothing but gape at Blair and her ample cleavage spilling out of her bra. "_Fuck, _Blair, are ya seriously tryin' to _seduce _me?" Jo asked.

Blair bit her lip flirtatiously, giggling. "Is it working?" She asked in admittance.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me!" Jo exclaimed in a fit of impatience. She dove for Blair's lips again, throwing her arms around Blair's neck. Blair's back fell against the passenger seat as Jo straddled her, running her hands against Blair's bare stomach.

"Wait," Blair said. She then took Jo's hands and slipped them underneath her bra.

"Much better," she then said, giving Jo a cheeky grin.

Jo's eyes widened a little as she ran her hands and fingers over Blair's breasts for the first time.

_Blair Warner lettin' me feel her up in __**my **__car. This can't be real!_

Jo then reached her hands behind Blair to unsnap the bra. Blair assisted her in removing it, tossing it haphazardly in the backseat of the car.

Jo then let her hands again roam across Blair's bare breasts, letting her fingers brush across Blair's erect nipples.

"Oh...my..._fuck..._that feels so _good,_" Blair hissed in arousal.

Jo smirked, suddenly feeling the urge to get a little naughty. "Ya like my hands on ya tits, don't ya, baby?"

Blair moaned. "_Yesssssss_," she admitted in a breathy whine.

Jo only chuckled. "Hm, I bet ya do. Tell me somethin', Blair, did _Cody _also like these tits of yours, too?"

Blair tilted her head back, her eyes closed. "Cody...never...got...to see...them," she told her breathlessly. She squirmed in her now damp panties, itching to rid herself of the jeans she was wearing.

"So ya sayin' he never _once _got to see these pretty, perky little tits of yours?" Jo questioned, squeezing Blair's breasts in a state of possessiveness.

Blair found herself becoming more and more aroused. _"Noooooooo!_" She moaned. She then grunted in a heat of frustration. She pushed Jo off her and moved to the backseat. She then beckoned her over, motioning with her finger. Jo followed her.

Blair laid her body down on the backseat of the car, grabbing at Jo's waist. Jo sat her hips on top of Blair's, running her hands through Blair's hair.

"I swear to you, Jo Polniaczek, Cody has never _once_, in his pathetic life, seen let alone, put his hands on these boobies of mine. Although, I really must say it's_ hot _that you're so possessive of them."

"Blair?" Jo asked, giving Blair a fierce look.

"What?"

"Shut the fuck up about Cody."

Blair laughed. She then put her finger and thumb against her lips and moved them across her lips as if closing them up with a zipper.

"I promise I am shutting the fuck up about Cody. Although I _do _know of _somebody_ I'd like to fuck…"

"You've got _such_ a dirty mind, Blair," Jo remarked.

"I do indeed."

"But I _love _it."

The two women kissed again. Jo then made quick work of removing the remainder of Blair's clothing and Blair began the task of helping Jo remove hers.

"This is so romantic, don't you think?" Blair asked, gazing into Jo's green eyes.

Jo cradled Blair's face with her hands, staring at her lovingly. "How so?" She asked her softly.

"Remember when I quoted Emily Dickinson's 'The Moon' when I said I needed the moon's caress?"

Jo laughed. "How could I forget?" She asked.

"Well, here the two of us are, snuggling in the backseat of your car on a dark and deserted road in the deserts of New Mexico with the moon shining right above us."

Jo brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Blair's face. "Yeah, I guess it does," she agreed.

Blair gave Jo a tiny kiss on the lips. "Remember when I said this was _some _vacation? Looks like I was right," she teased, giving Jo an impish grin.

Jo playfully whacked the top of Blair's head. "Oh, shut up," she said, grinning.

Blair laughed. She then sighed blissfully, running her fingers lazily across Jo's cheeks and lips. "But seriously, if someone had told me last week, I'd be snuggling, absolutely naked in the backseat of a GTO convertible with the love of my life after fleeing the law, I think I'd call them crazy."

Jo felt herself getting teary-eyed. "_I'm _the love of your life?" She asked, half in shock and half in disbelief.

"It's really _always_ been_ you_, Jo. Ever since that day when we met. Remember when Mrs. Garrett made us shake hands all those years ago? You were the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. You_ still_ are, all those years later."

Jo's mouth opened to speak but words didn't come out.

"I'm speechless, Blair. I honestly don't know what to say," Jo finally said.

"I figured you probably wouldn't. I know you're not too good with words. And that's fine because somehow, I always knew you felt the same way. And let me tell you something - all those boyfriends I had don't hold a _candle_ to you. I had always hoped one day, we'd be together. But when you married Rick, I decided that it was better to keep you as a friend rather than not have you in my life at all. I was going to settle for Casey and that would be _it_."

"Who knew it would take all of _this_ for us to finally be together?" Jo asked, shaking her head in wonder.

Blair nodded her agreement. "I'm just glad I have _you _by my side, Jo. I don't think I'd want to do this - _any _of this - with anyone else. We're in this together. I...love you."

Jo smiled proudly at Blair, tears falling down her face at Blair's admissions. "Back at ya, Princess," she said, grabbing hold of her hand. She then squeezed it, holding it up to her lips and kissed Blair's fingers.

"And now...I have only _one _question now...just a tiny, eeeny-weenie, itty-bitty question," Blair said.

"Shoot."

Jo then noticed the mischievous glint in Blair's eyes.

"Can we scissor now? I don't know about you but I _really _need something to rub off on and I don't mean your barbarism, although I _do _find that endearing."

"Well, well, well...you're just a horny little princess, aren't ya?" Jo teased, giving Blair's breasts another squeeze.

Blair then squealed loudly. She then reached out her hands to give the same treatment to Jo's breasts. She moved her head down to kiss and suck them, making Jo shudder and moan.

"Evidently, you don't know me at all," she told Jo in a husky voice. "But don't worry...I'm ready to show you."


	30. Chapter 30: Delightful Revenge

_Chapter Thirty: Delightful Revenge_

"I could stay like this forever," Blair mused as she lay blissfully wrapped up in Jo's arms; sweaty and sated after their long session of lovemaking.

Jo lazily peppered dozens of tiny kisses along Blair's neck. "Me, too, babe," she agreed, wrapping Blair up in her arms even tighter.

Blair sighed happily. "Is it weird that I feel happy?" she asked. "I mean, I know we're on the run and all but...I can't help but feel happy. Remember when I said I wanted more but I wasn't sure exactly _what_ I wanted?"

Jo nodded.

"Well...now I know. I finally figured out what I want more of and it isn't Casey or Cody or any other guy. I want _you_, Jo Polniaczek. It's you and only you. It's crazy it took _this _circumstance for us to finally admit our feelings to each other but it is what it is. You're just _it _for me and no one else will do."

Blair watched as Jo's eyes began to water. Blair reached out a hand to wipe the tears away.

"Aw...Jo….baby...don't cry," she said sadly. "I didn't mean to make you cry. Why are you crying?"

Jo only gave Blair a watery smile as Blair's thumb brushed away Jo's tears tenderly. "Nothin'," she said. "It's just that I'm happy, too. I've been unhappy for awhile myself. I agree that this probably wasn't the most ideal time to _finally _admit our feelings, either but hey...better late than never, huh?"

Blair grinned happily. "I couldn't agree more," she said. "I love you, Jo. _So_ much. I can't even begin to tell you how extremely _happy_ I feel right now!"

Jo kissed the top of Blair's head. "I love you, too, Blair," she said, giving Blair a tight squeeze. "Now...how about you and I get some clothes on and get outta here? We're almost there, ya know."

Blair giggled. "I almost forgot we were even going to Mexico," she replied. She then sighed a bit regretfully as she removed herself from Jo's warm embrace. "Alright," she said. "I need to get my clothes."

As she got up to grab her clothes that were strewn all over inside Jo's car, she felt Jo's hand playfully slap her backside causing her to jump in surprise. She turned her head towards Jo who only gave her a teasing smirk.

"Do you want to get out of here or _what?_" Blair asked breathlessly. "Don't make it so fucking hard, Jo."

Jo only continued smirking as she then reached out a hand towards Blair's exposed breasts, rubbing one of her nipples. It instantly grew hard almost immediately at Jo's touch.

"I dunno, Blair," Jo replied teasingly, grinning at her handiwork. "Seems _somethin's_ already pretty _fuckin' hard _to me."

She then chuckled as she suddenly moved her hand away, picked up her clothes and got dressed.

Blair only smiled slyly, a plan suddenly starting to formulate in her mind. _I'll get you, Jo_, she thought as she got herself dressed. _And I'm going to make **sure** I get you **good**._

* * *

"Fuck, I _hate _this guy," Jo remarked half an hour later as she and Blair continued on up the road.

"What?" Blair asked curiously.

She followed Jo's gaze to a semi-gas tank truck in front of them. Blair gasped as she recognized the truck. It looked like the same truck they had seen before. _It even has the same degrading mud flaps!_ Blair thought, scowling deeply.

As Jo passed him, he turned his head towards them, honking his horn. He then placed his hands in his lap, thrusting and bouncing obscenely.

"We should have just ignored him, the creep," Jo replied, her face twisted up in disgust.

The two women continued on down the road, leaving the trucker behind.

Blair glanced at Jo, who was intently focused on keeping her eyes on the road.

_Perfect. Everything is going to plan. _Jo (at Blair's instance) had put the top up on the car and there were no other drivers on the road. _OK, Blair...time to put this plan into action!_ Blair thought to herself.

Blair then got up from her seat and crawled her way towards Jo. Jo turned her head and stared at Blair suspiciously.

"Um, Blair...what are you doin'?" Jo asked, somewhat nervously.

She then noticed the familiar mischievous glint in Blair's eyes as Blair's hand crept towards the zipper of Jo's jeans. Blair then unzipped them and placed her hand inside Jo's panties.

Jo inhaled deeply and shut her eyes as she felt Blair's hand slip down past her lower abdomen and right between her legs, maintaining eye contact as Jo opened her eyes. Blair then began slowly rubbing her fingers across the outer lips of her crotch.

Jo found herself struggling to concentrate on the road in front of her as she felt Blair's amazing fingers brushing and rubbing the outside and inside of her with Blair watching her intensely as she fingered Jo.

"Gosh, Jo, you're _so_ unbelievably wet," Blair drawled, biting her lip. She then pulled her fingers out and placed her wet fingers into her mouth, slowly sucking each one.

Jo's eyes widened. _Is she tryin' to fuckin' **kill **me? _She thought as she squirmed in her seat.

"You taste fantastic, by the way," Blair remarked, winking. She let go of the last finger in her mouth with an enthusiastic pop.

She tried her best not to laugh when she got a look at Jo's flushed face.

"Aw...poor baby," Blair cooed, pouting. "You look so pitiful, Jo. Here, let me put you out of your misery."

Jo gasped suddenly as she felt Blair's warm and wet tongue on her, flicking her clit and greedily lapping up her wetness.

"_Ohhhhhhhhh…Blairrrrrr…fucccccccck!" _Jo moaned, her head falling back against the headrest. She grabbed a handful of Blair's hair with one hand, forcefully pushing Blair's head to move down further and kept the other hand on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly.

Blair quickly gazed up at Jo, her tongue still on her. _This is so hot, _she thought as she watched and felt Jo fall completely apart.

Blair gave Jo a cocky grin after Jo's orgasm had completely subsided and she could fully concentrate on driving again.

"Bet **_Rick _**never made you feel that good," Blair replied cockily, making a show of licking her lips.

Jo only laughed weakly. "No...can't say that he has," she admitted breathlessly.

Blair gave Jo a satisfied grin as she rested her head on Jo's shoulder.


	31. Chapter 31: Feels So Right

_Chapter Thirty-One: Feels So Right_

"I'm hungry," Blair replied later that morning. "I want something to eat."

Her remark caused Jo to laugh.

"What?" Blair asked.

"Blair, ya ate me out literally _hours_ ago and ya _have _to talk about how hungry ya are? It's a wonder I didn't crash after ya did _that._"

Blair only blushed. "Well, right now, I'm only hungry for _food _this time," she replied. She then grinned mischievously. "But if you want, there's _always_ time for a little _snack_ here and there."

Jo cleared her throat, tugging at her shirtsleeve. _God, she's so horny! _She thought. Blair had never failed to throw out surprise after surprise after deciding to go on vacation with her.

"Oh, keep it in ya pants, Warner," Jo replied, rolling her eyes playfully. She then lowered her voice in a seductive tone. "But…be a good girl and you just _may _get a little _snack_," she told her.

Blair then nodded her head eagerly. "I promise," she said, giving Jo her sexy, megawatt smile.

"Good. So…whaddya want?" Jo asked.

"You," Blair answered.

Jo lifted an eyebrow, casting Blair a warning glance.

"Kidding! I guess some eggs and turkey bacon will do just fine."

The car then remained quiet. As Jo drove on, Blair gazed outside. The desert air was dry and hot and the atmosphere around them seemed to go on for miles. There didn't seem to be a house or another human being anywhere.

Blair couldn't help but start thinking about Lee and his last moments. Blair knew she shouldn't have but she did. She began laughing quietly to herself. Jo turned her head, staring at her.

Blair's quiet laughter suddenly became louder and louder, prompting Jo to keep staring.

"What's so funny, Blair?" Jo asked curiously. "I don't think our little innuendos were _that _funny."

Blair laughed so hard, tears fell from her eyes. She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself but then she burst out laughing again, causing Jo to raise her eyebrows in alarm.

"OK…I_" Blair began, laughing again. "I can't really say."

"_Blair," _Jo said in a testy voice.

"Nothing. It's not funny," Blair replied.

"What? What's not funny, Blair?" Jo demanded, beginning to lose patience.

Blair didn't answer. Instead, she only laughed again.

"_What!?_" Jo exclaimed in annoyance.

"Lee," Blair finally blurted out.

Jo glared at Blair in disbelief. _"What?" _She asked. "What about _him_?"

Blair threw her head against the headrest, cracking up in hysterical laughter. "Just the look on his face when you…"

She trailed off, back in hysterics again.

Jo glowered at Blair angrily as Blair only continued laughing.

"He sure wasn't expecting _that!" _Blair exclaimed, unaware of Jo's angry glares.

To Jo's horror, Blair began impersonating Lee the night he was killed. "'Suck my dick!'," she squeaked out, holding her stomach. "Boom!" She fell back in her seat, laughing some more.

"It's not funny, Blair," Jo said in a quiet voice.

_It's not like I **wanted **to kill the son of a bitch but he **forced **me to defend Blair and she thinks it's a joke! I was there to help her! **Nobody **was there to help **me!**_

Tears of glee fell down Blair's face as she laughed. She laughed so hard, she thought she'd be sick.

She then turned and saw Jo, her face stony and she noticed a few tears sliding down her face.

And then suddenly, realization hit Blair like a ton of bricks and she stopped laughing.

She gasped. "Wait a minute…" Blair replied, her mouth hanging open. "It happened…to you…didn't it?" She asked quietly.

Jo didn't answer but Blair knew it by Jo's body language. Her knuckles grew pale from gripping the steering wheel too tight and her jawline had set.

"Jo_" Blair began.

"I _don't_ wanna talk about it!" Jo snapped, her voice breaking with emotion. "Blair, I'm _not _kiddin'! Don't ya _dare_ even_"

"In Texas…it happened in Texas, didn't it, Jo? That's why you don't want to go back there….Oh, my God, Jo…I'm so _sorry!"_

Blair immediately felt her heart break.

Jo's voice got shaky. "I'm warnin ya, Blair! Ya better drop it _right _now! I _said _I _don't _wanna talk about it and I mean it!"

Blair only nodded understandingly, feeling angry that somebody would _do that_ to Jo.

_So **that's **what she's been hiding! Some asshole abused her and she's never told anybody! _Blair suddenly felt the urge to try to protect Jo. She then grabbed Jo's hand and placed it in hers, squeezing it. She then placed her head on Jo's shoulder.

_I'll just give her the time she needs. She can tell me when she's ready,_ Blair thought. _The only thing I can do right now is just be **here** for her; her rock._

"It's OK, Jo," she said soothingly. "It's OK."

Jo didn't yell or move from Blair. Instead, she only let Blair rest her head on her shoulder as the two women then cried quietly together.

* * *

A few hours had passed as Jo continued driving through the desert. Blair had insisted turning the radio on and then she had she fallen asleep with it on causing Jo to then shut it off.

Jo, on the other hand, had used the quiet time to reflect on everything that had happened from the time she had agreed to go on vacation with Blair till the very last minute she was now escaping the law with Blair.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't heard a loud police siren in the background.

_What the hell? _She thought, peering through her rearview mirror. A police car was right behind them.

Then she glanced at her speedometer. It read 100 mph. _Shit! I don't **need **this right now!_

Jo turned to Blair and shook her awake. "Blair! Wake up! _Blair!_ We're gettin' pulled over!" Jo exclaimed in a panic.

Blair's head popped up out of her sleep. She whirled around and saw the police car behind them. Her mouth dropped open. "What are we going to do?! What do we do?!" She asked frantically, wringing her hands.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Jo replied nervously.

_I need to stop! The **last **thing we need is a damn police chase! _Jo thought.

"Alright! I'm gonna stop! Let's play by it by ear! Maybe he doesn't know who we are! Maybe he's just gonna give me a ticket!"

Jo slowed the car down and immediately pulled over, their hearts racing.

"Please don't let us get caught," Jo could hear Blair praying under her breath. "Please don't let us get caught."

"Blair,_ hush!_" Jo shushed Blair.

"Turn off your engine," A male voice from a loudspeaker on the patrol car ordered harshly.

Jo quickly shut off the car.

The two then heard him get out of the car and walk towards their own vehicle. Blair clutched Jo's hand and squeezed it; Jo reciprocated by squeezing back.

When the trooper approached their car, both Jo and Blair gave the trooper matching megawatt smiles.

Jo cleared her throat and tried her best to maintain her cool and posture.

"Hello, officer," she greeted him politely. "Is there a problem?"

"May I see your license, please?" He asked her, narrowing his eyes.

Jo grabbed her purse, fumbling around, looking for it. When she finally found it, she gave it to him. "Here it is," she told him, giving him a nervous smile. She then handed him her wallet.

"You gonna take it out of your wallet, ma'am?" He demanded.

"Oh, yeah," Jo said, chuckling nervously. She fished out her license and handed it to him. "Here it is."

The trooper took it, still narrowing his eyes at Blair and Jo through the aviator shades he wore. There was _something _suspicious about them but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I _told you _to slow down," Blair scolded Jo, lying through her teeth. She then looked up at the trooper. "Officer, I _told _her to slow down but she didn't listen."

"Yep…she did," Jo said. "So…how fast was I goin'?" She asked.

"A hundred and ten," he told her, stone-faced.

"Oh," Jo said flatly.

"You wanna get out of the car, please?" The trooper asked her.

Jo obeyed, casting a look at Blair.

"Is this your car?" The trooper asked her, after taking a look at her plate numbers.

"Um…yes, sir, it is," Jo answered him.

_Let this be it, _she thought.

"Can you come with me, please?" The trooper then asked her.

Jo fought the urge to roll her eyes. She caught a glance at Blair, who dropped her head in her hands as she followed the trooper to his patrol car.

_This is it. We're dead meat, _Jo thought.

"Front or the back, sir?" She asked.

"Front," he informed her.

Jo got in his car, her palms sweaty and her heart beating incredibly fast. She had hoped the trooper wouldn't notice. In her mind, she tried coming up with different ways she could escape but came up short.

_We're doomed._

"Take off your eye wear, please," the trooper ordered Jo, pointing to her sunglasses when he got inside the car.

Jo nodded obediently, removing them. "Yes, sir," she said.

The trooper then grabbed a clipboard and jotted down some quick notes.

"Am I in trouble, officer?" Jo asked, trying her hardest to hide the fear in her voice.

"As far as _I'm _concerned, ma'am, the answer is _yes_. You're in a _lot_ of trouble."

He then grabbed his handmike connected to his police radio and spoke into it.

"Hello, this is…" he then trailed off as he looked up and saw Blair walking up to the driver's side of his window, a bright smile on her face.

The trooper scowled in annoyance at Blair. He _knew _something seemed odd about these women.

"Ma'am, would you head back to your veh_" he snapped, his voice instantly interrupted by a gun placed to his head by Blair.

"Officer, I am _so, so, _sorry about this, but would you get your hands off that?" Blair demanded in a cool, business-like tone.

The trooper dropped his handmike instantly.

"Now, sir, I _really, **really **_do apologize," Blair said, maintaining her all-business voice. "But I'm going to need you to put your hands on the steering wheel, please."

When the trooper obeyed, Blair spoke again. "Now see here – if you get on that radio, you're going to find out that we're both wanted in two states. And probably considered armed and dangerous."

She shrugged a little when she realized she was the only one with a gun. _But not for long,_ she thought.

"Well…at least, _I _am," she admitted. "And then our whole little plan's just going to be shot straight to hell and we can't have _that_, can we?"

She turned to Jo, who only stared at Blair in complete shock and amazement.

"Jo, take his gun," Blair said to her in a calming voice. "Take his gun. It's right there." She pointed to his hoister.

Jo nodded dumbly. "Uh…sure," she replied, "I'm _really _sorry about this, sir," she then said to the trooper as she slowly slid the weapon from his holster.

"I swear, sir, before yesterday, neither one of us would have _ever, _in a million years, pulled a stunt like this," Blair replied, rambling. "But if you met my ex-boyfriend, you'd understand why I ..."

She then cut herself off when she noticed Jo give her a warning look to stop telling the trooper personal stories.

_I don't know where this is coming from but for some reason, it's actually insanely fuckin' **hot**, _Jo thought.

Blair instantly got back in her all-business demeanor. "Are you going to get out of the car, please?" She demanded, opening the door for him.

The unarmed trooper got out of the car, trembling in fear.

"Put your hands behind your head, please," Blair ordered him in her low tone, standing behind him with her gun pointed straight to the back of his head.

She turned to Jo. "Jo," she said to her.

"What?" Jo asked, standing and staring at Blair, unsure of what to do next.

_Who knew Little Miss Blondie was so good at tellin' men what to do?_

"Shoot the radio," Blair said to her.

Jo then chuckled. "Oh," she said lamely. "Right."

She leaned into the car and shot the car radio to smithereens, flinching at the loud sound it made.

Blair fought the urge to laugh. Instead, she only rolled her eyes. "The _police _radio, Jo!" She exclaimed in annoyance. "Jesus!"

"I'm sorry!" Jo said in mild annoyance. She leaned down again and shot up the other radio.

"Got it," she said to Blair after she was finished.

"OK," Blair replied. She then turned her attention back to the trooper.

"Can you come this way, please?" She asked, pointing with her gun to the trunk of the patrol car. She then continued to have her gun still trained on him.

The trooper obeyed, standing frozen into place.

"Jo, get the keys," Blair demanded.

As Jo got into the patrol car to fetch the keys, she heard loud gunshots.

Her heart dropped automatically, immediately thinking the worst had happened to Blair.

She screamed, ducking out of the car. "Blair!" She yelled. She looked around in confusion when she saw that neither Blair nor the trooper had been harmed.

Blair nodded towards one of the tires. "Airholes," she informed Jo.

Jo looked down and saw that Blair had shot up all of the car tires.

"Open the trunk," she then told her.

Jo shook her head. "Jesus, Blair," she muttered. "Ya scared the _shit_ out of me."

She opened the trunk of the car and stood next to the trooper, waiting to see what Blair would do next.

"Can you step into the trunk, please?" Blair then told him.

At that very moment, the trooper, who had been cold, aloof and direct with the two women mere minutes ago, suddenly began sobbing loudly and openly, nearly wetting himself in fear.

"Please, ma'am, _please," _he begged. "I got a wife and kids…_please.."_

Blair was unfazed. "Oh, you do?" She asked coolly. "Well, you better be _real_ sweet to them. _Especially _to your wife. My ex-boyfriend wasn't sweet to me and look how _I _turned out."

She rolled her eyes. _Men. _

"Now go on. Get in there," she said impatiently.

The trooper struggled as he tucked his tall body into the trunk of his own police car.

"Wait!" Jo called out before Blair could close the door and lock him him inside. "Can we trade sunglasses?"

The trooper took off his shades and gave them to Jo. She then handed him her old ones.

"Thanks," she said. "And can I have ya belt, please?" She then asked him politely, pointing to his hoister belt and all the ammunition he had.

The trooper obliged, taking it off and giving it to her.

"Extra ammo," she informed Blair.

Blair nodded, impressed. "Good idea," she said to Jo. "Is there anything else you want?" She asked.

Jo reached back into the trunk and picked up the trooper's stash of beer.

"OK, _now _I'm good," she said.

Right before Blair closed the trunk, she gave the trooper a sympathetic look. "Officer, I'm _really _sorry about this," she repeated.

"I also apologize," Jo added as Blair closed the trunk shut and locked it with the keys.

"Let's go," Blair replied in her low business voice that Jo was immediately starting to like.

Blair tossed the keys somewhere in the distance and the two women walked back towards their car.

"Wait!" Jo exclaimed.

"What?" Blair asked in alarm.

To Blair's surprise and delight, Jo then pushed her up against the driver's side of the car and kissed Blair passionately.

"What ya did back there – _everything_ – it was all _so_ amazing! Ya were so damn _hot! _Where the _fuck _did ya _learn_ that from?"

"Well, Jo, like it or not, I _did _take a few tips from Cody Weston. That bastard _was _good for_ something_, wouldn't you agree?"

She pecked Jo on the lips and got into the car, Jo looking on in amazement.

_Being badass just **feels **so right! _Blair thought, the familiar feeling of adrenaline rushing through her. _I could learn to actually **like **this!_

Blair started the car and the two drove off down the road, leaving the trooper behind.

"You know something, Jo?" Blair confided as she grabbed the trooper's stolen ammo and used it to load her own gun. "I know it's crazy but I just _really _feel like I got a real _knack _for this shit."

Jo nodded her head in agreement. "Yep. I believe ya do," she said. She then took the rest of the ammo from Blair for her own gun and loaded it.

She then put on her new set of shades and gave Blair a confident smile.

"Drive like hell," she told her.


	32. Chapter 32: Thanks for Saving My Life

_Chapter Thirty- Two: Thanks for Saving My Life_

"Mornin', McNeal," Rollins greeted Bradley McNeal that morning as he walked into Blair's spacious kitchen.

McNeal only gave him a brief nod, sipping his coffee.

"Rollins, I don't know about you but we've _really _gotta do something about this case. It's just not _working _like this. We've got to _do _something other than just _wait_. It'd be one thing if these girls were hardened criminals or something but…_damn_ it, this is making us look bad."

He then sighed loudly. "Maybe they're not moving or maybe that little fucker they were with lied to us."

"Highly unlikely, McNeal," Rollins said confidently. "Weston has absolutely _nothing_ to gain by lying. He already took their money. I'm not quite sure exactly _what _we're dealing with, honestly. But anyway, it went out last night on NLETS [National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System]. Let's just wait it out a little while longer. She said she'd call back so just sit tight."

McNeal let out a long breath of air. "Not like we have a fucking choice, do we?" he grumbled. "I don't know if those girls are really smart or just really, _really _lucky."

"It doesn't matter," Rollins replied. "Brains will only get you so far and luck _always _runs out."

At that moment, a cop walked into the kitchen holding a file with Jo's full name on the front of it. Rollins took it and opened it up.

"Ah…interesting," he muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the paper. It was a lengthy incident report of a rape in Texas and a record of Frank Hanley, the man Rose Polniaczek had told him about._ A piece of **shit**_, Rollins thought in disgust. Stamped right across the paper were the words "GUILTY" on it.

A feeling of uneasiness ran throughout Rollins' body as he read it. _This poor young lady, _he thought sadly as he thought about Jo. Rollins had told himself earlier not to get too emotionally attached to Jo and this case but damn if he was already finding that hard to do.

* * *

_Something doesn't look right, _Blair thought to herself as she and Jo continued their drive through the New Mexico desert. _We're going in the wrong direction._

"Hey, Jo?" Blair asked.

Jo turned to her. "Yeah, Blair?" She asked.

"Um…we're still going to Mexico, aren't we?"

"Of course we are. Why?"

Blair hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Aren't we going in the wrong direction?" She then asked.

"Well, Blair," Jo said, a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. "I figure if ya gonna take a state cop, shoot up his car, take his gun _and _lock him up in his own car, your best bet is to just get the hell on out of Dodge if ya can."

"Oh," Blair said flatly. "Just asking."

Blair then kept quiet, digging through her bag for a piece of beef jerky to nibble on.

"Want some beef jerky?" She asked Jo, holding out a piece in front of her.

Jo nearly gagged. "I don't wanna see anymore beef jerky!" She exclaimed, making a face. "I mean it, Blair! The next piece of jerky ya hand me is goin' right out the window! It's drivin' me _nuts_! The whole damn car even _smells _like it!"

"But it's good," Blair debated. "It's what the pioneers ate."

"I don't give a rat's ass _what_ the damn pioneers ate! You keep that shit away from me! I mean it!"

Blair set her bag down. _Jeez, what's eating her?_ She thought, rolling her eyes.

"And I don't want any Southern Comfort, either," Jo added. "It's burnin' a hole in my stomach."

"Well, I also got tequila," Blair offered, willing to do anything to help brighten Jo's sour mood.

Jo turned her head to face Blair, a small smile creeping near the corner of her lips.

"Ya do?" She asked.

"Yep. You want some?"

Jo nodded. "Yeah," she said.

Blair then began rummaging around in her purse, looking for the tequila. "I know it's in here somewhere," she muttered.

She then pulled it out a minute later and handed it to Jo.

"Thanks," Jo replied, opening the tiny bottle and taking a sip.

Blair reached down and grabbed a bottle of beer, opened it and began drinking it.

"Jo, you OK?" Blair asked worriedly, setting down her bottle in a drink holder.

Jo looked extremely tired and exhausted. Blair wondered if their flee from the law was beginning to take a toll on her.

Jo sighed. "I'm just fuckin' _tired_, Blair," she admitted. "I think I _really_ fucked up here. I can't _believe _I didn't just call the police! I got us both into a situation where we could've gotten ourselves _killed! Why _didn't I just call the police?"

Blair only sat stoically, staring at Jo.

"You already said," she said quietly.

"What'd I say?" Jo asked confusedly.

"You said nobody would believe us," Blair reminded her. "We'd still get in trouble and still have our lives ruined. And you know what else?"

"What?" Jo asked, tears already starting to form in her eyes as she listened to Blair, remembering what she'd said that night after Blair got attacked and Lee getting shot.

'_About a hundred goddamn people saw ya dancin' cheek to cheek all fuckin' night! Who's gonna believe ya!? We just don't live in that kind of a world, Blair!'_

"That guy was _really_ hurting me, Jo," Blair said. "And if you hadn't come out when you did, I bet a lot worse would've happened to me. And nothing probably would've happened to _him_. Because everybody _did _see me dancing all night with that jerk and they would've assumed I asked for it. And then my life would've _really _been hell – hell of a lot worse than it is now."

She then rested her head on Jo's shoulder and began absentmindedly running one of her fingers across Jo's arm.

"But you know, I've had a lot of fun on this vacation and I'm not sorry at all that son of a bitch is dead. I'm _not! I'm _only sorry it was you that did it and not _me_. And Jo, if I haven't said so already, I want to take the time to thank you for saving my life."

She then gave Jo a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Jo's cheeks began to grow red. "Jeez, Blair," she said, blushing. "I said all _that?_"

Blair gave Jo a look. "No, silly. You said the first part. _I _said all the rest."

Jo only shook her head. "Whatever," she replied, too tired to figure out what Blair meant. Blair only rolled her eyes in mock irritation.

_That's my Jo, _she thought admirably. She kissed her cheek again. _And God, do I love her._


	33. Chapter 33: Wanted Dead or Alive

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Wanted Dead or Alive _

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Tootie asked Natalie that morning as she juggled a hot Box o' Joe, paper cups and a bag full of cream, plastic stirrers and sugar packets they had gotten from a nearby Dunkin' Donuts on their way to Blair's house. Natalie held onto a big box full of a dozen donuts.

Tootie and Natalie stood outside Blair's house that morning after hearing from Casey that the State Police and the FBI were still there, gathering information.

"I _know _the cops have found some juicy info…I just _know_ it!" Natalie informed her friend. "And I'm sure they'll want to tell us _something _after we give them some coffee and donuts. And with I did to help them, they should be _thanking_ me! And they never even bothered to tell me what happened afterwards!"

Tootie looked a little miffed that Natalie had broken her promise of not getting involved in the case but she decided to ignore it. "Coffee and donuts are _so _stereotypical, Nat," she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Cops _love_ coffee and donuts, OK? So sue me. I don't make the rules. Rollins and McNeal owe me anyways. I _know _those guys got _something _good!"

Natalie then rang the doorbell. After a few moments, Casey answered the door.

"Natalie? Tootie? What the hell are _you_ two doing here?" Casey demanded sharply, scowling.

Natalie felt herself growing annoyed and irritated with Casey's presence. It was time to tell this bastard off, once and for all! "Selling beauty cosmetics, Casey," Natalie replied sarcastically. "What the everlasting _fuck_ does it look like?"

She then gave Casey a sickeningly sweet smile. "You know, I could ask you the same question, you know…squatting in your girlfriend's house while she's on the run from the law…don't you still have a job somewhere?"

Tootie clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"Well, what the _fuck_ do you want?" Casey asked through gritted teeth. He scowled angrily at Natalie and Tootie and clenched his fists together, wishing so badly they were men so he could knock their lights out.

"Mr. Clark, you have guests?" A man's voice questioned before Natalie or Tootie could respond to Casey.

Natalie, Tootie, and Casey looked in the direction of the voice. It was Rollins, casting curious gazes at the three all standing in the foyer.

"Hey, there! Brought you some refreshments!" Natalie exclaimed. She pushed past Casey and walked into Blair's kitchen, setting the donuts on the table. Tootie followed suit and placed the coffee and utensils down next to the donuts.

"_And_ possibly get some dirt on what's been going on since we seen you last!" Natalie then admitted.

Rollins frowned. "So…you think by bribing us with coffee and donuts is going to make us tell you anything, Ms. Green?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natalie only shrugged. "Why not?" She admitted, smiling sheepishly.

McNeal shrugged impassively. "Sounds good to me," he replied. "I'm fucking _starved."_

"Help yourselves," Natalie invited, waving her hand.

Rollins then sighed tiredly. "Well, one of your friends _did _call here yesterday. Joanna."

Natalie and Tootie's eyes widened and their mouths dropped open. "_Jo_ called here?" Natalie asked, her voice squeaking. "Are she and Blair OK? Where are they? What are they doing?"

"Well…from what we gathered after tracing a call we got late last night, they were in Boise City, Oklahoma. They're en route to Mexico so there's no doubt they're in New Mexico now."

Tootie then felt her heart sink even lower then she had probably felt. "_Mexico? _They're going to _Mexico!?" _ She exclaimed angrily, gripping the edge of the table.

Everyone in the room stared at Tootie in surprise.

Tootie took a deep breath to try to compose herself. "I'm sorry but…I just can't _believe _this is happening! Just two weeks ago, I was letting Blair borrow my Wilson Phillips CD and I had paid Jo a visit to her apartment to tell her about an acting gig I got at the Peekskill Community Theatre and _now _they're running away to _goddamn Mexico _and we'll never see them again because some guy got killed! It just doesn't make any type of sense! It just _doesn't!_"

Tears streamed down Tootie's face. "I'm _so_ confused! I _want _to still consider them my friends but I just can't get past all of this shit! Just who _are _they?! I don't understand!"

Rollins gazed at Tootie, swallowing hard. He hated seeing the anguish, stress and sadness the case was putting on the family and friends of the fugitives. As he had done with Rose Polniaczek, he walked over to Tootie and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Casey left the room, muttering something about estrogen and female hormones. Natalie immediately walked over to her friend to hug her.

"I sense you two care a great deal about your friends and I'm truly sorry they're both in this predicament," Rollins said to Tootie and Natalie. "I have some news to share that _might _be upsetting but I do feel that it is something you both probably need to know. It may or may _not _explain the case of Kincaid's death and why your friends are running but it might so here goes…"

Natalie and Tootie then listened intently as Rollins retold Rose Polniaczek's story.

* * *

That same morning, Jo stared out at the blue sky in front of yet another pay phone of a tiny general store as Blair went inside to use the bathroom.

Digging in her jeans pocket for loose change, Jo pulled out a handful of quarters and inserted them into the phone, calling Blair's house. The phone only rang two times before McNeal picked it up.

"Hello?" McNeal answered.

"Uh…yeah…lemme speak to Rollins, please?" Jo asked as politely as she could.

Jo could then hear muffled voices she couldn't recognize before Rollins finally got to the phone.

"Hello, Joanna," Rollins greeted her.

Jo grimaced. "_'Jo'_ is fine," she said coolly.

"Alright, _fine_. How are you out there?"

Jo sighed inwardly. She rubbed tiredly at her worn face.

"Weird," she admitted. "Got kind of a snowball effect goin' on out here or somethin'."

"But you're still with us, right? You're still somewhere on the face of the Earth, aren't ya?"

Jo laughed dryly. "Well, we're not _exactly _in the middle of nowhere but we sure as hell can see it from here," she remarked.

Rollins found himself smiling and chuckling yet again at Jo's dry sense of humor.

"You know something, Jo? I almost feel like I know you," Rollins told her.

Jo frowned. "Well, ya don't," she told him crossly. _Hell, after all the things Blair and I have done, I don't think I even know myself!_

"You're getting in deeper every moment you're gone, Jo," Rollins informed her.

"Well, would ya believe me if I told ya this whole thing was an accident?" Jo asked.

"I _do _believe you, Jo. That's what I want everybody to believe. The only trouble is, it doesn't _look_ like an accident. You're not here to tell me about it. I've got one of your friends here who wants _desperately _to believe you and is afraid her friendship with you is hanging by a thread. I need you to help me, Jo. Everyone is worried sick about you."

Jo felt her heart drop when Rollins had mentioned one of her friends. _If only they knew what we had to go through, _she thought. She hated knowing she and Blair had probably disappointed everyone back home in Peekskill but they had no clue what had really happened! If only they _really _knew, then they'd probably understand but there was _no _way to reach out to them to tell them the truth.

"Did Lee Kincaid__"_ Rollins began to ask.

Jo nearly hung up the phone hearing Lee Kincaid's name. _That asshole got us into this mess! _She thought bitterly. _I don't wanna hear that asshole's name!_

"_No!" _Jo exclaimed through gritted teeth, growing repulsed just _hearing _that man's name.

"Are you going to turn yourself in?" Rollins then asked.

Jo stood quiet and thought. _And risk going to prison for the rest of my natural born life? And wind up losing Blair? _She thought. _Do they even **have** the death penalty in New York? _

Jo didn't think it did but she wasn't willing to find out. Mexico was the only solution for her.

"No," she finally said. "I don't think so."

Rollins blew out a frustrating breath at his failure to get Jo to turn herself in.

"Well, Jo, then I'm sorry but we're gonna have to charge you with murder," he informed her dejectedly. "Now, you _do _want to come out of this alive, don't you?"

Jo chuckled wryly. "Well, ya know," she said, the sarcasm and irritation in her voice evident. "Certain words and phrases just keep jumpin' out at me…incarceration, cavity searches, life imprisonment, death by electrocution…all that shit. So come out _alive_? I dunno…Let us think about that."

"Jo, _please_," Rollins begged. He took a quick glance at Natalie and Tootie, who were both hanging onto Jo's every word from headsets given to them by one of the police officers.

"I'll do_ anything," _Rollins pleaded. "I know what's making you run, Jo. I know what happened to you in Texas."

And before Jo could ask him _how_ he knew or how _much_ he knew or anything, she then heard the line go dead.

She turned around in complete shock and puzzlement. Blair was now standing next to her, her finger on the phone lever. Blair had purposefully ended Jo's call with Rollins.

She gave Jo a serious look, raising an eyebrow. "C'mon, Jo," she said to her sternly. "Don't blow it."

Jo could've sworn she'd seen a brief look of sadness and hurt in Blair's eyes. But only briefly.

Blair then turned around and walked briskly away towards the door of the store, leaving Jo alone.

_What was **that **about? _Jo wondered as she went out to follow Blair.

_But time to find out._


End file.
